Bowser Jr. (SSBU): Difference between revisions

*{{Sm|Ketchup|USA}} - Although not as consistent compared to other Bowser Jr. players, he is known for his win on {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}} at {{Trn|Mega Smash Mondays 240}}, the best win from a Bowser Jr. player, and ultimately placed 9th at the event. In addition, he has placed well at several other [[SoCal]] events, including 5th at {{Trn|Get in the Game! 2020}} and 17th at {{Trn|DreamHack Anaheim 2020}}.

*{{Sm|TM7_ZAP|USA}} - The best Bowser Jr. player since mid-2023. He initially gained notoriety for being one of the best players in the post-pandemic online metagame, placing highly at many {{Trn|Coinbox}} events. He eventually had his offline breakout event at {{Trn|CEO 2023}}, where he defeated {{Sm|Riddles}} to place 13th, and has since became the most recognizable Bowser Jr. player of this era, most notably placing 9th at {{Trn|Cirque 4}}, the highest-placing Bowser Jr. player at an open major since Young Eevey's Albion 4 run.

*{{Sm|Yoda Cage|USA}} - One of the best Bowser Jr. players in the post-pandemic metagame who was the defintive best from 2021 to mid-2023. He possesses some of the best Bowser Jr. placements and wins of all-time, including placing 13th at {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code}} defeating {{Sm|Zomba}}, 17th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2022}} defeating {{Sm|Ned}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Collision 2023}}, in addition to wins over {{Sm|ApolloKage}} at {{Trn|Gateway Legends 2023}} and {{Sm|Cosmos}} at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2023}}.  

*{{Sm|Young Eevey|Netherlands}} - The first Bowser Jr. player to find any competitive success, and as such is considered the best Bowser Jr. player in the early metagame. He is best known for being the first and only Bowser Jr. player to place top 8 at a major, doing so by placing 7th at {{Trn|Albion 4}} while defeating {{Sm|Space}}. Alongside his 13th-place finish at {{Trn|Thunder Smash 3}} and 25th-place finish at {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}} with a win over {{Sm|yeti}}, his performances led many to reassess Bowser Jr.'s viability, and even after becoming significantly less active in the post-pandemic metagame, his results remain some of the best Bowser Jr. performances of all-time.

Following the game's launch, the community immediately noticed that Bowser Jr. retained his weaknesses from ''Smash 4'' (poor grounded mobility, susceptible to gimps, lack of range and his playstyle being linear). Despite improvements towards his survivability, Clown Cannon (widely agreed to be one of the worst projectiles in ''Smash 4''), and his grab game, several players claimed that the improvements were not significant enough to compensate for his retained weaknesses. As such, Bowser Jr. was considered a low-tier character at best, with some even going as far as claiming him to be a bottom 3 character.

Early patches gave Bowser Jr. several buffs that improved Clown Cart and Bowser Jr.'s combo potential, allowing him to fare better in competitive play. His results by mid-2019 were also improving, peaking just outside the top 50 for July-December 2019, thanks to strong performances from players such as {{Sm|Young Eevey}} and {{Sm|Ketchup}}. Notably, Young Eevey placed 7th at Albion 4, the highest placement for a Bowser Jr. player at a major, while Ketchup picked up notable wins over several top players. Thanks to the buffs and improving results, players no longer considered Bowser Jr. as one of the worst characters in the game, but had reassessed him as a mid-tier.

Unfortunately for Bowser Jr., his playerbase began declining in the post-online metagame as his best players became less active or consistent. This was a trend with some of his newer players as well: although players such as {{Sm|Yoda Cage}} and {{Sm|TM7_ZAP}} found success at majors, their results were either inconsistent or they were seldom active. As such, Bowser Jr.'s representation slipped greatly into the bottom 10 by 2021; this decline was also reflected in his placement on the first tier list, where he was ranked 72nd at the very end of the mid-tier. Since then, his metagame had remained stagnant as his overall represented remained in or near the bottom 10. As such, his placement on the second tier list barely shifted, moving up to 70th at the top of D- tier due to falling opinions on a few other characters ranked above him.