Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in competitive play: Difference between revisions

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The Fall 2019 PGRU received mixed responses from the community, with many wondering how the algorithm ranked the players. With concerns that releasing the algorithm publicly would lead players to "game" the rankings, staff behind the PGRU decided to overhaul the power rankings for the [[Spring 2020 PGRU]] season, notably switching the rankings to a panel-based system and increasing the number of players on the rankings to 100. In addition, the lukewarm reception to the rankings helped increase the popularity of the [[OrionRank]], an alternative ranking that featured a different methodology, tournament tier system, and ranking algorithm which ranked the top 100 players of the year instead of the top 50 players of half a year. Although the two rankings never competed with each other, as the metagame progressed both rankings were ultimately accepted in the community.
The Fall 2019 PGRU received mixed responses from the community, with many wondering how the algorithm ranked the players. With concerns that releasing the algorithm publicly would lead players to "game" the rankings, staff behind the PGRU decided to overhaul the power rankings for the [[Spring 2020 PGRU]] season, notably switching the rankings to a panel-based system and increasing the number of players on the rankings to 100. In addition, the lukewarm reception to the rankings helped increase the popularity of the [[OrionRank]], an alternative ranking that featured a different methodology, tournament tier system, and ranking algorithm which ranked the top 100 players of the year instead of the top 50 players of half a year. Although the two rankings never competed with each other, as the metagame progressed both rankings were ultimately accepted in the community.


The start of 2020 featured two supermajors that took place on the same weekend: {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} and {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}}. The latter caused controversy in the community as the top prize was only a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller while other events had an actual prize pool. Many players questioned [[Nintendo]]'s support for the competitive scene, however despite the wishes of many players, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that Nintendo would not fund tournaments. This led many to question whether competitive ''Smash'' was financially viable if there was little support from Nintendo.
The start of 2020 featured two supermajors that took place on the same weekend: {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} and {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}}. The latter caused controversy in the community as the top prize was only a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller while other events had an actual prize pool. Many players questioned [[Nintendo]]'s support for the competitive scene; however, despite the wishes of many players, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that Nintendo would not fund tournaments. This led many to question whether competitive ''Smash'' was financially viable if there was little support from Nintendo.


Fortunately, things looked up for the community in February, when the team behind {{Team|VGBootCamp}} and {{Trn|Super Smash Con|series}} announced the {{Trn|Smash World Tour}}, a circuit that would provide over $250,000 in prize money for both ''Melee'' and ''Ultimate''. This announcement was received with praise from players, and the circuit was set to start at {{Trn|CEO Dreamland 2020}} in March.
Fortunately, things looked up for the community in February, when the team behind {{Team|VGBootCamp}} and {{Trn|Super Smash Con|series}} announced the {{Trn|Smash World Tour}}, a circuit that would provide over $250,000 in prize money for both ''Melee'' and ''Ultimate''. This announcement was received with praise from players, and the circuit was set to start at {{Trn|CEO Dreamland 2020}} in March.
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==Online metagame (March 2020-2021)==
==Online metagame (March 2020-2021)==
{{main|COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash}}
{{main|COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash}}
Unfortunately, the year marked the start of a global outbreak of COVID-19, which by the time of CEO Dreamland 2020 had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Due to warnings from officials to avoid contact with others and traveling abroad, many tournaments that were upcoming in the next few months were cancelled or postponed, while the Spring 2020 {GRI and the Smash World Tour were frozen to dissuade players from attending tournaments. A few tournaments continued to run the first week of the pandemic, however they all suffered from dropouts. Most notably, CEO Dreamland 2020 saw top players such as {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, and {{Sm|Maister}} drop out, and tournament organizer {{Sm|Alex Jebailey}} was forced to ask for donations in order to keep the tournament afloat. As the outbreak continued it became clear that offline competitive play wouldn't return for the rest of the year, leading to the cancellation or postponement of other major events for the rest of the year.  
Unfortunately, the year marked the start of a global outbreak of COVID-19, which by the time of CEO Dreamland 2020 had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Due to warnings from officials to avoid contact with others and traveling abroad, many tournaments that were upcoming in the next few months were cancelled or postponed, while the Spring 2020 {GRI and the Smash World Tour were frozen to dissuade players from attending tournaments. A few tournaments continued to run the first week of the pandemic; however, they all suffered from dropouts. Most notably, CEO Dreamland 2020 saw top players such as {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, and {{Sm|Maister}} drop out, and tournament organizer {{Sm|Alex Jebailey}} was forced to ask for donations in order to keep the tournament afloat. As the outbreak continued, it became clear that offline competitive play wouldn't return for the rest of the year, leading to the cancellation or postponement of other major events for the rest of the year.  


Though offline tournaments were halted worldwide, the online tournament scene drew significant attention as both tournament organizers and players looked for alternative options. While the online scene had existed for years, many of these players and organizers began paying more attention to it and made the transition to online play, and as a result the online scene grew substantially, with many tournaments seeing entrant counts reaching the thousands. Most notably, {{Trn|The Box}} became the largest ''Smash'' tournament of all-time, reaching 8,158 entrants. However, these entrant counts were often overinflated, as anyone with an internet connection could attend the tournament, and most tournaments were free-to-enter, which led to many tournaments having a large number of disqualifications. Nevertheless, these conditions also gave many players the opportunity to play with others that they normally didn't or couldn't play with, exposing more players to hidden bosses and strong players who exclusively played online.   
Though offline tournaments were halted worldwide, the online tournament scene drew significant attention as both tournament organizers and players looked for alternative options. While the online scene had existed for years, many of these players and organizers began paying more attention to it and made the transition to online play, and as a result the online scene grew substantially, with many tournaments seeing entrant counts reaching the thousands. Most notably, {{Trn|The Box}} became the largest ''Smash'' tournament of all-time, reaching 8,158 entrants. However, these entrant counts were often overinflated, as anyone with an internet connection could attend the tournament, and most tournaments were free-to-enter, which led to many tournaments having a large number of disqualifications. Nevertheless, these conditions also gave many players the opportunity to play with others that they normally didn't or couldn't play with, exposing more players to hidden bosses and strong players who exclusively played online.   
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The online metagame's top level featured different players than the offline metagame. While both {{Sm|MkLeo}} and {{Sm|Tweek}} did well online, the former saw a small character crisis and therefore struggled in the fifth season, while the latter's tournament activity was rather minimal, especially after August. Instead, several rising stars or Wi-Fi Warriors were in contention for the top spot, including {{Sm|Kola}}, who ultimately was ranked first on the WWR's fifth season; {{Sm|BestNess}}, who won The Box; and players who were consistent threats at large online tournament, such as {{Sm|Maister}}, {{Sm|Sonix}}, and {{Sm|Epic_Gabriel}}. However, one player ultimately sat on the throne for the majority of the online metagame: {{Sm|Sparg0}}, a player who was on the rise pre-pandemic but had his beginnings in the online metagame. Sparg0's plethora of online tournament wins helped him climb to the #1 spot on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v6|sixth season]], where he remained for the rest of the online metagame.
The online metagame's top level featured different players than the offline metagame. While both {{Sm|MkLeo}} and {{Sm|Tweek}} did well online, the former saw a small character crisis and therefore struggled in the fifth season, while the latter's tournament activity was rather minimal, especially after August. Instead, several rising stars or Wi-Fi Warriors were in contention for the top spot, including {{Sm|Kola}}, who ultimately was ranked first on the WWR's fifth season; {{Sm|BestNess}}, who won The Box; and players who were consistent threats at large online tournament, such as {{Sm|Maister}}, {{Sm|Sonix}}, and {{Sm|Epic_Gabriel}}. However, one player ultimately sat on the throne for the majority of the online metagame: {{Sm|Sparg0}}, a player who was on the rise pre-pandemic but had his beginnings in the online metagame. Sparg0's plethora of online tournament wins helped him climb to the #1 spot on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v6|sixth season]], where he remained for the rest of the online metagame.


However with more attention came more criticism for ''Ultimate''{{'}}s online mode. Players complained about the online mode's unstable connections, which led to frequent drops in framerate and increased input lag. The environment also promoted campy play, allowing characters that benefit from it, such as {{SSBU|Sonic}}, to have more matches time out. On the contrary, characters such as {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Joker}} were often considered weaker online, as the input lag made it harder to perform their combos. Numerous complaints over the issue soon caused the hashtag "#FixUltimateOnline" to trend on Twitter in late April. In an effort to combat the terrible connections, Ethernet cables became mandatory for most online tournaments and region locks that limited online tournaments to certain regions started to gain traction. To combat the effects of the region locks on the rankings, the Wi-Fi Warrior rank introduced multipliers that increased the value of international region-locked tournaments but decreased the value of American region-locked tournaments.
However, with more attention came more criticism for ''Ultimate''{{'}}s online mode. Players complained about the online mode's unstable connections, which led to frequent drops in framerate and increased input lag. The environment also promoted campy play, allowing characters that benefit from it, such as {{SSBU|Sonic}}, to have more matches time out. On the contrary, characters such as {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Joker}} were often considered weaker online, as the input lag made it harder to perform their combos. Numerous complaints over the issue soon caused the hashtag "#FixUltimateOnline" to trend on Twitter in late April. In an effort to combat the terrible connections, Ethernet cables became mandatory for most online tournaments and region locks that limited online tournaments to certain regions started to gain traction. To combat the effects of the region locks on the rankings, the Wi-Fi Warrior rank introduced multipliers that increased the value of international region-locked tournaments but decreased the value of American region-locked tournaments.


Despite the adjustments, by June players were already itching for the return of offline competitive play, and several regions in the United States began hosting small locals while enforcing social distancing and other measures aimed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These locals were criticized for opening before the pandemic had been completely stabilized in the United States. Those that did not attend locals but disliked the online metagame or were burnt out by the number of online tournaments also stopped attending online tournaments, instead choosing to spend more time on other games or using online only for practice. Finally, the online scene lost its largest circuit after The Quarantine Series was quietly and unceremoniously discontinued. With declining interest and continued criticism of the online mode, the latter of which was a major reason for ''Ultimate''{{'}}s absence from the EVO 2020 Online lineup, the online scene slowly began to decline, leading to less large online events and the decision to revert the WWR back to a top 50 ranking. Nevertheless, online tournament activity remained afloat thanks to the rise of many player-ran tournament series, most notably {{Team|Team Liquid}} and {{Sm|Hungrybox}}'s series {{Trn|The Box|series}}.  
Despite the adjustments, by June players were already itching for the return of offline competitive play, and several regions in the United States began hosting small locals while enforcing social distancing and other measures aimed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These locals were criticized for opening before the pandemic had been completely stabilized in the United States. Those that did not attend locals but disliked the online metagame or were burnt out by the number of online tournaments also stopped attending online tournaments, instead choosing to spend more time on other games or using online only for practice. Finally, the online scene lost its largest circuit after The Quarantine Series was quietly and unceremoniously discontinued. With declining interest and continued criticism of the online mode, the latter of which was a major reason for ''Ultimate''{{'}}s absence from the EVO 2020 Online lineup, the online scene slowly began to decline, leading to less large online events and the decision to revert the WWR back to a top 50 ranking. Nevertheless, online tournament activity remained afloat thanks to the rise of many player-ran tournament series, most notably {{Team|Team Liquid}} and {{Sm|Hungrybox}}'s series {{Trn|The Box|series}}.  


While the United States's online metagame saw a sudden rise followed by a slow decline, the Japanese online metagame continued to grow throughout the online metagame, likely due to better online connections in Japan as well as [[Smashmate]], a website dedicated to online play in Japan and features an ELO [[ladder]] and frequent online tournaments thanks to the {{Trn|Tamisuma|series}} and {{Trn|Maesuma|series}} series. Specifically, more players began playing on the online ladder, and by its [[Smashmate Rankings/Smashmate SP Season 11|eleventh season]], it had surpassed 10,000 entrants, with attendance numbers remaining well above this threshold even after the return of offline competitive play. Initially, the latter was often topped by veteran players {{Sm|Ron}} and {{Sm|YB}}, however eventually a new player, {{Sm|acola}}, began dominating the ladder, becoming the first player to ever surpass a 2,500 rating on the latter.
While the United States' online metagame saw a sudden rise followed by a slow decline, the Japanese online metagame continued to grow throughout the online metagame, likely due to better online connections in Japan as well as [[Smashmate]], a website dedicated to online play in Japan and features an ELO [[ladder]] and frequent online tournaments thanks to the {{Trn|Tamisuma|series}} and {{Trn|Maesuma|series}} series. Specifically, more players began playing on the online ladder, and by its [[Smashmate Rankings/Smashmate SP Season 11|eleventh season]], it had surpassed 10,000 entrants, with attendance numbers remaining well above this threshold even after the return of offline competitive play. Initially, the latter was often topped by veteran players {{Sm|Ron}} and {{Sm|YB}}; however, eventually, a new player, {{Sm|acola}}, began dominating the ladder and became the first player to ever surpass a 2,500 rating.


===Effects of the sexual misconduct allegations===
===Effects of the sexual misconduct allegations===
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Aside from the United States, a few other countries began holding offline events with COVID-19 precautions enforced. The first event to surpass 100 entrants during this period was the French regional {{Trn|Super Smash Stadium 1}}, held on July 25th, 2020, and a few other French events would follow within the upcoming months. Offline activity further picked up in the fall, when Japan began hosting more events. Although there were no majors for the rest of the year, many tournaments featured several top Japanese players, and as such many of these tournaments managed to reach superregional status. One such event was {{Trn|Kagaribi}}, which despite beginning during the pandemic would go on to be one of Japan's most prestigious tournament series.
Aside from the United States, a few other countries began holding offline events with COVID-19 precautions enforced. The first event to surpass 100 entrants during this period was the French regional {{Trn|Super Smash Stadium 1}}, held on July 25th, 2020, and a few other French events would follow within the upcoming months. Offline activity further picked up in the fall, when Japan began hosting more events. Although there were no majors for the rest of the year, many tournaments featured several top Japanese players, and as such many of these tournaments managed to reach superregional status. One such event was {{Trn|Kagaribi}}, which despite beginning during the pandemic would go on to be one of Japan's most prestigious tournament series.


The slow return of offline competitive play was halted by a spike in COVID-19 cases in January 2021, which once again halted offline competitive play, especially in Japan where a surge of cases cancelled several notable events. However, by March offline events once again began crawling back, and by the end of the month Japan had successfully ran {{Trn|Kagaribi 3}}, the first major tournament since the start of the pandemic.
The slow return of offline competitive play was halted by a spike in COVID-19 cases in January 2021, which once again halted offline competitive play, especially in Japan where a surge of cases cancelled several notable events. However, by March, offline events once again began crawling back, and by the end of the month Japan had successfully ran {{Trn|Kagaribi 3}}, the first major tournament since the start of the pandemic.


==Post-online metagame (2021-present)==
==Post-pandemic metagame (2021-present)==
===Return to offline play (June - December 2021)===
===Return to offline play (June - December 2021)===
The success of several offline events, as well as the pandemic winding down and the release of vaccines, led many players to believe it was finally time to restart offline competitive play. One of the first notable examples of this was {{Trn|InfinityCON Tally 2021}}, which was expected to be a small regional but quickly garnered attention from all across the country. By the time the tournament rolled around, over 400 players had registered for the event, making it the first tournament to surpass 200 entrants since {{Trn|CEO Dreamland 2020}}. Although many players remained cautious about offline events, by the end of June many regions have began hosting offline tournaments, kickstarting the post-pandemic metagame.
The success of several offline events, as well as the pandemic winding down and the release of vaccines, led many players to believe it was finally time to restart offline competitive play. One of the first notable examples of this was {{Trn|InfinityCON Tally 2021}}, which was expected to be a small regional but quickly garnered attention from all across the country. By the time the tournament rolled around, over 400 players had registered for the event, making it the first tournament to surpass 200 entrants since {{Trn|CEO Dreamland 2020}}. Although many players remained cautious about offline events, by the end of June many regions have began hosting offline tournaments, kickstarting the post-pandemic metagame.
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Aside from Sparg0's rise, there were many new shakeups all around the world. Japan saw {{Sm|ProtoBanham}}'s meteoric rise after he picked up {{SSBU|Min Min}} as a co-main, and he ultimately used her and his former main {{SSBU|Lucina}} to establish himself as the new best player in Japan. In addition, although {{Sm|Glutonny}} remained the best player in Europe, he was beginning to seem more mortal, especially following {{Trn|VCA 2021}}, the first notable European event where he was eliminated by another European -- {{Sm|Peli}}.
Aside from Sparg0's rise, there were many new shakeups all around the world. Japan saw {{Sm|ProtoBanham}}'s meteoric rise after he picked up {{SSBU|Min Min}} as a co-main, and he ultimately used her and his former main {{SSBU|Lucina}} to establish himself as the new best player in Japan. In addition, although {{Sm|Glutonny}} remained the best player in Europe, he was beginning to seem more mortal, especially following {{Trn|VCA 2021}}, the first notable European event where he was eliminated by another European -- {{Sm|Peli}}.


With hopes that the pandemic would be over by the summer, VGBootCamp announced the {{Trn|Smash World Tour 2021}}, which would feature region-locked online tournaments for the first half of the year before moving offline for the second half. However, unlike last year, the reaction was more mixed; several top players such as MkLeo and Tweek noted how players were required to play in online tournaments just to qualify for the brackets with prize pools and questioned whether it would be safe enough to host offline tournaments by summertime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1363264527878430722|title=MkLeo's opinion on SWT 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TweekSsb/status/1363258144621740034|title=Tweek's opinion on SWT 2021}}</ref> Indeed, a variety of issues came up during the qualifiers, largely due to the game's poor online netcode. In addition, although all the regional final events were held offline, the {{Trn|SWT: South America Ultimate Regional Finals}} was held online due to the COVID-19's effects in South America, leading many South Americans to accuse VGBootCamp for sidelining a community often overlooked by the global scene.
With hopes that the pandemic would be over by the summer, VGBootCamp announced the {{Trn|Smash World Tour 2021}}, which would feature region-locked online tournaments for the first half of the year before moving offline for the second half. However, unlike the previous year, the reaction was more mixed; several top players such as MkLeo and Tweek noted how players were required to play in online tournaments just to qualify for the brackets with prize pools and questioned whether it would be safe enough to host offline tournaments by summertime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1363264527878430722|title=MkLeo's opinion on SWT 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/TweekSsb/status/1363258144621740034|title=Tweek's opinion on SWT 2021}}</ref> Indeed, a variety of issues came up during the qualifiers, largely due to the game's poor online netcode. In addition, although all the regional final events were held offline, the {{Trn|SWT: South America Ultimate Regional Finals}} was held online due to the COVID-19's effects in South America, leading many South Americans to accuse VGBootCamp for sidelining a community often overlooked by the global scene.


On the other hand, the [[Tournament:Smash World Tour 2021 Championships|circuit finale]], held from December 17th-19th, 2021, marked the first time in the post-online metagame with many players from ''Ultimate''{{'}}s three superregions in attendance. As a result, it became one of the largest events of the year despite having only 40 entrants. Ultimately, MkLeo took the tournament, making him the first champion of the Smash World Tour.
On the other hand, the [[Tournament:Smash World Tour 2021 Championships|circuit finale]], held from December 17th-19th, 2021, marked the first time in the post-pandemic metagame with many players from ''Ultimate''{{'}}s three superregions in attendance. As a result, it became one of the largest events of the year despite having only 40 entrants. Ultimately, MkLeo took the tournament, making him the first champion of the Smash World Tour.


===Top level shakeups and the Summer of {{SSBU|Steve}} (2022)===
===Top level shakeups and the Summer of {{SSBU|Steve}} (2022)===
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With 2021 paving the way to a new metagame, 2022 marked the new metagame coming into effect as many of the newer players began ascending to the top level. This was first foreshadowed at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2022}}, where [[Tristate]] hidden boss {{Sm|Quidd}} unexpectedly won the event, making him the first major winner who was not previously ranked in the early metagame. The next few months also saw Sparg0 win not only his first major, {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 4}}, but also his first supermajor, {{Trn|Collision 2022}}. On the other hand, {{Sm|MkLeo}}'s streak of Grand Final victories ended at the former event as he was eliminated at 4th, and he followed it up by finishing 3rd at the latter event. Although MkLeo regained his footing at his following few majors, including winning {{Trn|GENESIS 8}}, it was clear that, for the first time since 2019, MkLeo's dominance in competitive ''Ultimate'' might be coming to an end.
With 2021 paving the way to a new metagame, 2022 marked the new metagame coming into effect as many of the newer players began ascending to the top level. This was first foreshadowed at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2022}}, where [[Tristate]] hidden boss {{Sm|Quidd}} unexpectedly won the event, making him the first major winner who was not previously ranked in the early metagame. The next few months also saw Sparg0 win not only his first major, {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 4}}, but also his first supermajor, {{Trn|Collision 2022}}. On the other hand, {{Sm|MkLeo}}'s streak of Grand Final victories ended at the former event as he was eliminated at 4th, and he followed it up by finishing 3rd at the latter event. Although MkLeo regained his footing at his following few majors, including winning {{Trn|GENESIS 8}}, it was clear that, for the first time since 2019, MkLeo's dominance in competitive ''Ultimate'' might be coming to an end.


The second change in the new metagame was that the center of the community began shifting from being primarily American-based to being primarily Japanese-based. Thanks to Smashmate and the rise of new major tournament series {{Trn|Kagaribi|series}} and {{Trn|Maesuma|series}}, Japan's ''Ultimate'' community began thriving like never before, with established top players being upset by players who were considered new to the top level or even competitive play as a whole. One of these players who rose meteorically to the top level was {{Sm|acola}}, who made his first notable offline appearance in late-February at {{Trn|Maesuma Offline}}, defeating several established Japanese players to place 2nd. By the end of the season, acola was dominating Japan's competitive landscape, having won their two Golden Week supermajors back-to-back, signalling a new era for Japanese ''Smash''. Further expanding on acola's dominance was his first overseas performance at {{Trn|The Gimvitational}}, which he not only won, but did so defeating some of the United States's best players along the way. This event established acola as one of the best players in the world. Outside of acola, the year also saw the sudden rise of {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}} in the summer, where he saw a similar path to acola, going from a notable Smashmate player to becoming one of Japan's best offline players following his surprising victory at {{Trn|Kagaribi 8}}.
The second change in the new metagame was that the center of the community began shifting from being primarily American-based to being primarily Japanese-based. Thanks to Smashmate and the rise of new major tournament series {{Trn|Kagaribi|series}} and {{Trn|Maesuma|series}}, Japan's ''Ultimate'' community began thriving like never before, with established top players being upset by players who were considered new to the top level or even competitive play as a whole. One of these players who rose meteorically to the top level was {{Sm|acola}}, who made his first notable offline appearance in late-February at {{Trn|Maesuma Offline}}, defeating several established Japanese players to place 2nd. By the end of the season, acola was dominating Japan's competitive landscape, having won their two Golden Week supermajors back-to-back, signalling a new era for Japanese ''Smash''. Further expanding on acola's dominance was his first overseas performance at {{Trn|The Gimvitational}}, which he not only won, but did so defeating some of the United States' best players along the way. This event established acola as one of the best players in the world. Outside of acola, the year also saw the sudden rise of {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}} in the summer, where he saw a similar path to acola, going from a notable Smashmate player to becoming one of Japan's best offline players following his surprising victory at {{Trn|Kagaribi 8}}.


With COVID-19 restrictions becoming more lax by the summer, it also allowed international players to have a greater presence in North America than in the previous year. This allowed Japan to finally showcase its new strength to the rest of the global scene, as North American events became dominant by Japanese players: from {{Trn|Battle of BC 4}} in June to {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 5}} in September, every North American major with at least one top Japanese player in attendance was won by a Japanese player. One of the most notable examples of Japan's strength during this period took place at {{Trn|Double Down 2022}}, which saw {{Sm|ProtoBanham}} double-eliminate MkLeo to win the event. This win was significant not only because it was ProtoBanham's first international victory, but it came during a time where ProtoBanham's consistency in his own country was shaky. Further compounding this example was ProtoBanham's following victory at Smash Ultimate Summit 5, thus giving him two major victories in North America but no Grand Finals appearances at Japanese majors. Japan's increasing presence on a global scale further cemented Japan's position as the best superregion in the new metagame.
With COVID-19 restrictions becoming more lax by the summer, it also allowed international players to have a greater presence in North America than in the previous year. This allowed Japan to finally showcase its new strength to the rest of the global scene, as North American events became dominant by Japanese players: from {{Trn|Battle of BC 4}} in June to {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 5}} in September, every North American major with at least one top Japanese player in attendance was won by a Japanese player. One of the most notable examples of Japan's strength during this period took place at {{Trn|Double Down 2022}}, which saw {{Sm|ProtoBanham}} double-eliminate MkLeo to win the event. This win was significant not only because it was ProtoBanham's first international victory, but it came during a time where ProtoBanham's consistency in his own country was shaky. Further compounding this example was ProtoBanham's following victory at Smash Ultimate Summit 5, thus giving him two major victories in North America but no Grand Finals appearances at Japanese majors. Japan's increasing presence on a global scale further cemented Japan's position as the best superregion in the new metagame.


Coinciding with acola's meteoric rise was the meteoric rise of his main, {{SSBU|Steve}}. Although a relatively popular character prior to 2022, Steve's representation in the metagame exploded in the first half of 2022, with many Steve players placing at or near top 8 at major events. Outside of acola, the most notable among these Steve players was {{Sm|Onin}}, a player who began the year with decent results but by the end of July was in consideration for one of the best players in North America, dominating the [[Midwest]] with Steve and even winning the major tournament {{Trn|Get On My Level 2022}}. However, the character's sudden rise led to discussion on whether the character should be banned, with many citing how Steve's best players were all previously-unknown players to the top level just a year prior. Although a ban never came to fruition that year, Steve's position in the metagame only became more polarizing as acola and Onin continued to find great amounts of success in competitive play, culminating in the summer with acola's win at the Gimvitational in June and Onin's victory at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}} in August where he dominantly defeated MkLeo 3-0 along the way. As such, Steve became near-unanimously considered the best character in the game.
Coinciding with acola's meteoric rise was the meteoric rise of his main, {{SSBU|Steve}}. Although a relatively popular character prior to 2022, Steve's representation in the metagame exploded in the first half of 2022, with many Steve players placing at or near top 8 at major events. Outside of acola, the most notable among these Steve players was {{Sm|Onin}}, a player who began the year with decent results, but by the end of July, was in consideration for one of the best players in North America, dominating the [[Midwest]] with Steve and even winning the major tournament {{Trn|Get On My Level 2022}}. However, the character's sudden rise led to discussion on whether he should be banned, with many citing how Steve's best players were all previously unknown players to the top level just a year prior. Although a ban never came to fruition that year, Steve's position in the metagame only became more polarizing as acola and Onin continued to find great amounts of success in competitive play, culminating in the summer with acola's win at the Gimvitational in June and Onin's victory at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}} in August, where he dominantly defeated MkLeo 3-0 along the way. As such, Steve became near-unanimously considered the best character in the game.


Converse to all this success was MkLeo's slow decline: although he was ranked 1st on [[PGRU v3 NA|North America's PGRU v3]], only 0.7 points separated him and Sparg0, the first time a player was this close to dethroning him. Further underperformances in the summer, especially his poor performance at Smash Ultimate Summit 5, led many to question whether it was time to crown a new #1. Several candidates were brought up, however all of them had their flaws: acola and Sparg0 were often considered the frontrunners, however the former had only became a top player recently and had a few questionable losses while the latter went on a 3-month hiatus following {{Trn|The Gimvitational}}. Another player brought up was {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}} due to his sheer consistency across all majors he attended, however despite regularly placing top 3 he had only one major/supermajor title under his belt. All four players were present at {{Trn|Ludwig Smash Invitational}}, the second-largest tournament of the year in terms of number of talent, leading many to believe the player who won the event would be the frontrunner. Ultimately, MkLeo swept through the entire tournament in what many considered to be one of the most dominant tournament performances of his career, as he only losing a single game against {{Sm|Kurama}} and notably double-eliminated acola 3-0 twice.  
Converse to all this success was MkLeo's slow decline: although he was ranked 1st on [[PGRU v3 NA|North America's PGRU v3]], only 0.7 points separated him and Sparg0, the first time a player was this close to dethroning him. Further underperformances in the summer, especially his poor performance at Smash Ultimate Summit 5, led many to question whether it was time to crown a new #1. Several candidates were brought up; however, all of them had their flaws: acola and Sparg0 were often considered the frontrunners; however, the former had only become a top player more recently and had a few questionable losses, while the latter went on a 3-month hiatus following {{Trn|The Gimvitational}}. Another player brought up was {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}} due to his sheer consistency across all majors he attended; however, despite regularly placing top 3, he had only one major/supermajor title under his belt. All four players were present at {{Trn|Ludwig Smash Invitational}}, the second-largest tournament of the year in terms of number of talent, leading many to believe the player who won the event would be the frontrunner. Ultimately, MkLeo swept through the entire tournament in what many considered to be one of the most dominant tournament performances of his career, as he only lost a single game against {{Sm|Kurama}} and notably double-eliminated acola 3-0 twice.  


====Cancellations of the Smash World Tour and Panda Cup====
====Cancellations of the Smash World Tour and Panda Cup====
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The effects of the controversy was felt throughout the ''Ultimate'' community. The cancellations dampened any excitement going into the end of the year: although it was made up with the replacement event {{Trn|Scuffed World Tour}}, without the two major offline finales, many players believed MkLeo had already cemented himself as the #1 player due to his run at Ludwig Smash Invitational. In addition, Panda's implosion led to the uncertainty of Panda's properties, especially the [[PGRU]] and their database website [[PGStats.com]]. The former was later addressed with a collaboration between the creators of [[OrionRank]], [https://ssbdatarankings.wordpress.com/ EchoRank], and [https://omegarank.com/ ΩRank] to create [[UltRank]], which eventually evolved into the de-facto ranking used in subsequent years. Finally, the loss of Panda and {{Team|VGBootCamp}}'s decreased activity weakened North America's dominance in the ''Ultimate'' community, especially with an environment unfavorable to esports and the disbandment of {{Team|Beyond the Summit}} within the next few months, allowing Japan to eventually take its place as the center of competitive ''Ultimate''.
The effects of the controversy was felt throughout the ''Ultimate'' community. The cancellations dampened any excitement going into the end of the year: although it was made up with the replacement event {{Trn|Scuffed World Tour}}, without the two major offline finales, many players believed MkLeo had already cemented himself as the #1 player due to his run at Ludwig Smash Invitational. In addition, Panda's implosion led to the uncertainty of Panda's properties, especially the [[PGRU]] and their database website [[PGStats.com]]. The former was later addressed with a collaboration between the creators of [[OrionRank]], [https://ssbdatarankings.wordpress.com/ EchoRank], and [https://omegarank.com/ ΩRank] to create [[UltRank]], which eventually evolved into the de-facto ranking used in subsequent years. Finally, the loss of Panda and {{Team|VGBootCamp}}'s decreased activity weakened North America's dominance in the ''Ultimate'' community, especially with an environment unfavorable to esports and the disbandment of {{Team|Beyond the Summit}} within the next few months, allowing Japan to eventually take its place as the center of competitive ''Ultimate''.


===Rise and fall of the Four Horsemen (2023-2024)===
===Fall of MkLeo and the dominance of the Four Horsemen (2023-present)===
2023 marked the first year where MkLeo was not considered the unanimous best player in the world: although he won {{Trn|GENESIS 9}}, the entire year saw MkLeo's results slip further and further to the point where he was even having trouble placing top 8 at majors. With MkLeo no longer considered a top 5 player, let alone the best player in the world, many new candidates began competing for the throne.
2023 marked the first year where MkLeo was not considered the unanimous best player in the world: although he won {{Trn|GENESIS 9}}, the entire year saw MkLeo's results slip further and further to the point where he was even having trouble placing top 8 at majors. With MkLeo no longer considered a top 5 player, let alone the best player in the world, many new candidates began competing for the throne.


The earliest frontrunner was {{Sm|acola}}, who won many majors in the season's early months. Most notable among these was {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 6}}, where after falling to losers early in the final bracket, he ran through the entire losers bracket to eventually win the tournament. With strong performances in both Japan and in North America, many players considered acola to be the new best player in the world within only a few months of the new season. However, later developments in the season cast doubt on these claims. Although he had a relatively weak start of the season, {{Sm|Sparg0}} quickly shot up to be a contender after his victories at {{Trn|Kagaribi 10}} and {{Trn|Battle of BC 5}}, which not only were two of the largest events of the first season, but also saw him easily defeat acola four times. This dominat record over acola led many other players, especially in North America, to argue that Sparg0 was the best player in the world. UltRank, now called [[LumiRank]] after their partnership with {{Team|Luminosity Gaming}}, ultimately ranked acola #1 on the [[LumiRank Mid-Year 2023]] due to Sparg0's weaker consistency at majors, making acola the first new #1 player in ''Ultimate''. acola eventually cemented himself in this position following his continued consistency throughout the year, placing top 8 at every event he attended and winning {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2023}}, while further underperformances from Sparg0, especially after his devastating run at Super Smash Con, knocked him out of contention.
The earliest frontrunner was {{Sm|acola}}, who won many majors in the season's early months. Most notable among these was {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 6}}, where after falling to losers early in the final bracket, he ran through the entire losers bracket to eventually win the tournament. With strong performances in both Japan and in North America, many players considered acola to be the new best player in the world within only a few months of the new season. However, later developments in the season cast doubt on these claims. Although he had a relatively weak start of the season, {{Sm|Sparg0}} quickly shot up to be a contender after his victories at {{Trn|Kagaribi 10}} and {{Trn|Battle of BC 5}}, which were not only two of the largest events of the first season, but also saw him easily defeat acola four times. This dominant record over acola led many other players, especially in North America, to argue that Sparg0 was the best player in the world. UltRank, now called [[LumiRank]] after their partnership with {{Team|Luminosity Gaming}}, ultimately ranked acola #1 on the [[LumiRank Mid-Year 2023]] due to Sparg0's weaker consistency at majors, making acola the first new #1 player in ''Ultimate''. acola eventually cemented himself in this position following his continued consistency throughout the year, placing top 8 at every event he attended and winning {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2023}}, while further underperformances from Sparg0, especially after his devastating run at Super Smash Con, knocked him out of contention.


Aside from acola and Sparg0, two other players also began dominating their respective metagames. Despite having a weak start of the season, {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}} ended the year with the most major wins out of anyone, winning a total of 11 majors and supermajors. His performances especially took off in the latter half of the year, where he won most of his majors, including his biggest win {{Trn|Kagaribi 11}}, and even became a bracket demon for acola. In North America, {{Sm|Sonix}} emerged as a contender for best player in North America after defeating Sparg0 at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2023}}, and regularly making it to Grand Finals at majors in second half of the year, later winning {{Trn|Port Priority 8}}. Collectively, these four players won a combined 30/37 majors (81.08%) throughout the [[LumiRank 2023]] season, including all but one major in the second half of the season with at least one of them in attendance and all but one of the year's "premier-tier" events. This dominance culminated in their performances at the final supermajor of the season, {{Trn|Watch The Throne}}, where the four of them took the top 4 places. Recognizing their dominance in the metagame, players began calling the four players the '''Four Horsemen''', with the term taking off after Watch The Throne. This is reflected on the [[LumiRank 2023]], where the four players were ranked top 4 and had a score above 95, with the next highest being {{Sm|Glutonny}} with a score of 84.78.
Aside from acola and Sparg0, two other players also began dominating their respective regions. Despite having a weak start to his season, {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}} ended the year with the most major wins out of anyone, winning a total of 11 majors and supermajors. His performances especially took off in the latter half of the year, where he won most of his majors, including his biggest win {{Trn|Kagaribi 11}}, and even became a bracket demon for acola. In North America, {{Sm|Sonix}} emerged as a contender for best player in North America after defeating Sparg0 at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2023}}, and regularly made it to Grand Finals at majors in second half of the year, eventually winning {{Trn|Port Priority 8}}. Collectively, these four players won a combined 30/37 majors (81.08%) throughout the [[LumiRank 2023]] season, winning all but one major in the second half of the season with at least one of them in attendance, and winning all but one of the year's "premier-tier" events. This dominance culminated in their performances at the final supermajor of the season, {{Trn|Watch The Throne}}, where the four of them took the top 4 places. Recognizing their dominance in the metagame, players began calling the four players the '''Four Horsemen''', with the term taking off after Watch The Throne. This is reflected on the [[LumiRank 2023]], where the four players were ranked top 4 and had a score above 95, with the next highest being {{Sm|Glutonny}} with a score of 84.78.


The Four Horsemen's dominance almost immediately dissipated in the following season. Although they still made up the majority of major victories, their did not have an outright majority. Furthermore, only Miya had more than 3 major wins that season, as acola's decreased activity, Sparg0's inconsistency, and Sonix's frequent 2nd-place finishes meant that the number of Four Horsemen major wins that season was largely carried by one player. Conversely, this season saw a variety of major winners, with no repeat major winners outside of Miya between [[Tournament:DELTA 7|DELTA 7 [FAT]]] in December 2023 and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 46}} in April 2024, and in fact saw several new majors winners, including {{Sm|SHADIC}} at {{Trn|Cirque Du CFL 3}}, {{Sm|Hurt}} at {{Trn|Battle of BC 6}}, and {{Sm|Raru}} at {{Trn|Sumabato SP 47}}. Due to all of this, many players questioned whether the community was too haste in labeling the four players, especially if their dominance did not even last for a year.
However, their newfound label came under scrutiny in the following two half-year seasons. The Horsemen won a total of 20 majors, less than half the total number of majors that took place across the two seasons. In the first season, only Miya had more than 2 major wins that season, as acola's lower activity, Sparg0's inconsistency, and Sonix's "second-place curse" meant that the number of Four Horsemen major wins that season were largely carried by one player. This trend remained in the [[LumiRank 2024.2|following season]], where only Miya and Sparg0 were regularly winning majors and therefore competing for the throne, while on the other hand, acola was only able to win a single major and Sonix remained cursed to place 2nd at best. As such, both were not contenders for #1. Conversely, 2024 saw a variety of other major winners, with no repeat major winners outside of Miya between [[Tournament:DELTA 7|DELTA 7 [FAT]]] in December 2023 and {{Trn|Sumabato SP 46}} in April 2024. In fact, the season saw many new majors winners, most notably {{Sm|SHADIC}} at {{Trn|Cirque Du CFL 3}} and {{Sm|Hurt}} at {{Trn|Battle of BC 6}}, two players who were not only top 10 at one point in the year, but also had multiple wins on the Four Horsemen. Though the four players remained ranked at the top, often next to each other, many players questioned whether the community was too hasty in labeling the four players, especially if their dominance did not even last for a full year.


====Steve bans====
====Steve bans====
:''See also: [[Steve (SSBU)#Ban discussion]]''
:''See also: [[Steve (SSBU)#Ban discussion]]''
Although many players have discussed a Steve ban, no serious bans were placed until February 2023 with the discovery of Steve's [[Phantom MLG]] technique. This tech, which allowed Steve to escape out of a move and immediately counter it, prove to be a tipping scale for many tournament organizers, and many organizers around the world began banning the character, or at least banning the tech's usage.
Although many players have discussed a Steve ban, no serious bans were placed until February 2023 with the discovery of Steve's [[Phantom MLG]] technique. This tech, which allowed Steve to escape out of a move and immediately counter it, proved to be a tipping scale for many tournament organizers, and many organizers around the world began banning the character, or at least banning the tech's usage.


These bans prove controversial, as players opposed to the bans claimed the tech was heavily exaggerated by the community and impractical in an actual tournament match. As such, the bans were not unified, and many regions, especially Japan, opposed implementing such a ban. This eventually led ban efforts to sizzle out by the end of the summer, with many regions unbanning the character or at least allowing tournament organizers to make the decision. Nevertheless, Steve-banned events continued to exist even in the following year, albeit at a much smaller scale than in the early months of 2023.
These bans prove controversial, as players opposed to the bans claimed the tech was heavily exaggerated by the community and impractical in an actual tournament match. As such, the bans were not unified, and many regions, especially Japan, opposed implementing such a ban. This eventually led ban efforts to sizzle out by the end of the summer, with many regions unbanning the character or at least allowing tournament organizers to make the decision. Nevertheless, Steve-banned events continued to exist even in the following year, albeit at a much smaller scale than in the early months of 2023.
==Criticisms of competitive ''Ultimate''==
Despite ''Ultimate''{{'}}s popularity, certain aspects and mechanics of the gameplay have been criticized by competitors, especially in retrospect during and after the game's DLC cycle. Some criticisms include:
*Removal of microspacing options such as perfect pivoting and shield dropping through platforms such as the ones in {{SSBU|Battlefield}}, with the former having a major effect on characters such as {{SSBU|Little Mac}} and {{SSBU|Marth}}.
*Platforms becoming much harder to drop through in ''Ultimate'', causing costly misinputs.
*Whiff punishing being much more difficult due to the reduced lag on the majority of moves and the severe weakening of grabs, which has led to some players jokingly labeling moves as "unpunishable".
*[[Buffer]] systems being overly generous, to the point of unintentional actions that only occur because of the buffer.
*High input lag making the gameplay less precise and reaction-based.
*Poor online experience making both casual and competitive play difficult, particularly during the pandemic.
*Balance patches failing to address highly requested changes, in particular not giving major nerfs to higher-tier characters like {{SSBU|Sonic}} and neglecting to buff key weaknesses of lower-tier characters such as {{SSBU|Ganondorf}} and {{SSBU|Little Mac}}.
*Balance patches ending shortly after the release of {{SSBU|Sora}}, leaving multiple balance issues and glitches unaddressed.
*The large roster size requiring players to learn a large amount of matchups.


==See also==
==See also==
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{General competitive smash history}}


[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]
[[Category:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]
[[Category:Competitive play]]
[[Category:Competitive play]]