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.

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Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Samus players (SSBU); Category:Dark Samus players (SSBU)

•  Abadango  - Plays Samus alongside Meta Knight and Mr. Game & Watch. Placed 2nd at Kagaribi 8, 3rd at VCA 2022, 4th at Shinosuma HEROES 1, 5th at Sumabato SP 24, and 9th at KOWLOON 3, with wins over players such as takera, Peli, and alice.
•  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 a top 10 player in Mexico during this period. His best results during this period were in the United States, placing 7th at 2GG: SwitchFest 2019 defeating Nicko and WaDi, as well as 9th at Low Tier City 7 defeating ESAM. Although less active since then, he still places highly at Mexican events when he does attend.
•  Parme  - The best Samus player in Japan in 2019, placing highly at multiple Sumabato events, including 9th at Sumabato SP 6 and 13th at Sumabato SP 5. Although his results have since declined, he still remains a threat in Chūgoku and has seen some decent results at majors, including placing 33rd at Maesuma TOP 13.
•  quiK  - The third-best Samus player of all-time, and the definitive best in 2019, ranked 37th on the OrionRank 2019. He was also the second-best player in Europe during this time, notably placing 2nd behind Glutonny at Syndicate 2019, Ultimate WANTED 2, and Valhalla III, and also placed 7th at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 and 9th at Albion 4.
•  Sisqui  - One of the two best Samus players of all-time, peaking at 21st on the LumiRank 2023, and is one of the best players in Europe in the post-online metagame. He regularly places top 8 at European majors, including 2nd at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2023 and 5th at COLOSSEL 2022, while internationally, he has notably placed 4th at Rise 'N Grind and 5th at Smash Factor X.
•  Teaser  - One of the best Samus players in North America in 2022, peaking at 134th on the OrionRank 2022. He was a consistent threat in the Southeast, especially with wins over some of its best players such as Kola, Wrath, and Fatality and placing highly at Southeast majors, including 17th at Let's Make Moves Miami and 25th at MomoCon 2022. Outside of his region, he notably placed 17th at GENESIS 8.
•  Toura  - The second-best Samus player in Japan, especially in the post-online metagame, peaking at 97th on the OrionRank 2022. He frequently places highly at Japanese majors, most notably 5th at Umebura SP 9 and 9th at both Maesuma TOP 8 and Maesuma TOP 9.
•  Yaura  - One of the two best Samus and Dark Samus players of all-time, regularly placing in the top 8 at major Japanese events, most notably 4th at the supermajors Maesuma TOP 10 and DELTA 5, and has wins over three of the four Horsemen. He is the only Samus player ever ranked in the top 20, with his highest being 13th on the LumiRank 2024.1.
•  YB  - Mainly known for dominating the early Smashmate ladder, including ranking 1st on half of the first ten Smashmate rankings. He has only made a handful of appearances offline, but is best known offline for his appearances in the United States, which includes placing 13th at 2GG: Prime Saga defeating VoiD and WaDi, as well as top 8 finishes at 2GG: Prime Saga Kickoff and Mega Smash Mondays 185, where he also defeated Ally in the latter.

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. 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.