Ike (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Ike is ranked 40th out of 55 on the [[tier list]], placing him at the top of the E tier. This is a moderate drop from his placement in ''Brawl'', where he was ranked 23rd out of 38. In addition to largely retaining his renowned power and range, Ike's overall mobility has noticeably improved, thanks to his faster [[dash]]ing and [[air speed]]s, and higher [[double jump]]. His frame data has also fairly improved, with the most obvious improvements being his tilts and aerials. He also benefits from the changes to gameplay mechanics: [[rage]] supplements his power; the changes to [[hitstun canceling]] have made his up and down throws into very useful combo starters; and the updated edge mechanics supplement his [[recovery]].

However, Ike has received some nerfs, and he also retains his flaws from ''Brawl''. His [[jab cancel]], which was perhaps his best damage-racking option in the previous game, is now extremely situational due to his [[neutral attack]]’s higher overall lag. His high [[weight]] renders his overall mobility as below-average at best in spite of its improvements, making him vulnerable to rushdowns and combos. His lack of any [[projectile]] also leaves him susceptible to [[camp]]ing. Ike also has very few sufficiently fast moves (with [[jab]] and [[back aerial]] being some of his only moves that come out faster than frame 10), as well as high ending lag in many attacks. In return for Ike’s attacks having better frame data overall, most of them have significantly decreased knockback, slightly lower damage output, and shorter range. His already large hurtbox is slightly taller. Finally, Ike’s recovery is still predictable and linear, making it vulnerable to attacks when ascending.

While Ike has attained greater degrees of success prior to [[1.1.6]], thanks to the likes of {{Sm|Ryo}}, {{Sm|SM}}, {{Sm|San}}, and {{Sm|Waldo}}, his playerbase's success has stagnated afterwards.  

Upon ''SSB4''{{'}}s release, players noted both Ike's buffed mobility and nerfed power, with some arguing that the mobility changes were more important in the faster-paced meta, while others believed the ne. Eventually, the general consensus agreed that his improved mobility did not properly compensate for his unaddressed flaws and loss of some options from ''Brawl''. However, game updates (most notably [[1.0.8]]) would significantly improve Ike; he gained consistent and strong throw combos, improved hitboxes on many moves, and his lack of a midrange option was alleviated by giving his dash attack KO potential. As such, he began achieving respectable results from dedicated players such as {{Sm|Rango}}, {{Sm|Ryo}}, {{Sm|Ryuga}}, {{Sm|San}}, and {{Sm|Waldo}}. As such, he was ranked 26th on the first [[tier list]], a fairly noticeable improvement from his tier placement in ''Brawl''.

Although game updates considerably improved Ike's perception and were pivotal for his success, Ike has since achieved lower and more average placings at tournaments despite his playerbase continuing to advance his metagame. This is due to the improved results of other characters who benefitted more from the balance changes such as {{SSB4|Bowser}}, {{SSB4|Marth}}, {{SSB4|Lucina}}) and the inclusion of [[Downloadable content|DLC]] characters (notably {{SSB4|Corrin}}, {{SSB4|Mewtwo}} and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}), who would eventually start to surpass Ike in regard to overall representation and results. In addition, some of his best players, such as Ryuga and Rango, dropped Ike in favor of Corrin and {{SSB4|Cloud}}, respectively. These in turn saw him drop to 35th on the second tier list, and retained this 35th ranking third tier list.

Ike's perception became rather mixed: some players claimed that his standing was accurate, or should be slightly higher because of his improving placings; evidence stems from Ryo and San, who have earned solid results while taking sets off top players as of 2017, the latter even achieving 4th place at [[Get On My Level 2017]]. However, others claimed he should be ranked lower because of his glaring issues alongside overall mediocre representation and results, citing that he also lacks the growing success of characters ranked below him (such as {{SSB4|Duck Hunt}}, {{SSB4|Link}}, {{SSB4|Samus}}, and {{SSB4|Shulk}}), and putting him among the standing he initially had in ''Brawl''. As a result, Ike continued to drop even further, now ranking 40th on the fourth and current tier list, a far cry from his initial placement. To this day, Ike's true tier standing is still greatly up for debate as some smashers like {{Sm|ZeRo}}, {{Sm|ESAM}}, and {{Sm|Raito}} claim that Ike should be ranked lower (the latter claiming that Ike is among the bottom 5 characters in the game) while other smashers like {{Sm|Dabuz}} believe that Ike should be ranked slightly higher due to his strong throw combos and fantastic ledgetraps.