Ness (SSB4): Difference between revisions

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→‎In competitive play: Swapped to match Ultimate's
(→‎Announcer call: There was no Dutch Announcer in Smash 4)
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==In [[competitive play]]==
==In [[competitive play]]==
===Tier placement and history===
Opinions on Ness' competitive viability have shifted throughout the game's lifespan. During the early metagame, smashers immediately noticed the vast buffs made to Ness, including the removal of the 10 extra frame grab-release animations, significant improvements to his combo game, and edge-trumping making his recovery less exploitable. These buffs, alongside Ness having one of the best throw games in ''SSB4'', a highly versatile aerial game, and excellent KO power and damage output, led many players to believe that Ness was at least a high tier, with a few going as far as to call him a top tier. These claims were backed up with above-average results in competitive play throughout the first 2 years of the game's lifespan, with {{Sm|FOW}} playing 5th at {{Trn|GENESIS 3}} and 7th at {{Trn|EVO 2015}} and {{Sm|Shaky}} placing 7th at {{Trn|CEO 2015}} and 9th at GENESIS 3. Ness's positive reception solidified him into the 13th position on the first official ''4BR'' [[tier list]]. This reception continued onto the second tier list, where Ness saw a small drop to 16th, mainly due to the additions of {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} and {{SSB4|Corrin}}.
Over time, however, Ness' flaws came to be more apparent, with players noticing that his subpar mobility, mediocre ground game, and notably gimpable recovery made him struggle against several high and top tiers, most notably {{SSB4|Rosalina & Luma}} and {{SSB4|Corrin}}. As a result, opinions on Ness began to fall off drastically: his results stagnated as many of his best players became less active by the end of 2016. In addition, Ness's EarthBound semi-clone Lucas saw a shift in perception: while Lucas was initially considered inferior to Ness, over time opinions shifted the other way around due to Lucas' buffs received from patches and his commendable results thanks to {{Sm|Taiheita}}. At the same time, Ness gained new counters in the form of {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Lucina}}, whose buffs also helped create a large spike in popularity. Although Ness still saw strong results, such as FOW placing 17th at {{Trn|2GGT: ZeRo Saga}} and {{Sm|S1}} placing 5th at {{Trn|BEAST 7}}, it didn't compensate the loss of his stagnant results he had already suffered. This resulted in a much larger decline to 24th on the third tier list, being tied with {{SSB4|Pac-Man}} for the largest tier drop between the second and third tier lists; this drop also had him reassessed as a mid-tier character.
Throughout 2017, several mains began to return to the scene, with FOW briefly coming out of retirement to place 13th at {{Trn|2GGC: Nairo Saga}} and 25th at {{Trn|2GGC: Civil War}} respectively. NAKAT, despite using Ness as a secondary in favor of Fox in 2016, began to co-main Ness. With Ness, NAKAT saw great results such as 3rd at {{Trn|Smash Factor 6}}, 13th at {{Trn|EVO 2017}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|GameTyrant Expo 2017}} and {{Trn|2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga}}. Other notable players include {{Sm|The Great Gonzales}}, who placed 5th at {{Trn|Royal Flush}} and 17th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 3}}, and {{Sm|Gackt}}, who had a breakout performance at {{Trn|The Big House 7}} by defeating {{Sm|ANTi}}, {{Sm|Locus}}, and {{Sm|Mistake}}, ultimately placing 17th. These improved results, however, failed to shift opinions on Ness as many top players, including {{Sm|ZeRo}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, {{Sm|MkLeo}}, and {{Sm|Nairo}}, widely believed that Lucas was superior to Ness. Due to this, Ness dropped once again on the fourth and current tier list to 28th, now sharing the spot with Lucas, though due to the expansion of the tiers, he was once again considered a high tier character.
This placement, as well as his tie with Lucas, was challenged in 2018 as several dedicated players, including Gackt, S1, and {{Sm|BestNess}}, continued to see above-average placements at a national level, with Gackt placing 17th at {{Trn|EVO Japan 2018}}, S1 placing 5th at {{Trn|Midwest Mayhem 11}}, and BestNess placing 13th at {{Trn|The Big House 8}}, to name a few. Furthermore, Lucas's results dropped significantly as {{Sm|Taiheita}} entered retirement. With Ness's rise by the end of the game's active lifespan as well as improved results over characters such as {{SSB4|Greninja}}, {{SSB4|Villager}}, and {{SSB4|Bowser}}, players such as Dabuz once again believed that Ness was the superior ''EarthBound'' character and deserved to be higher on the tier list.
Despite the ups and downs Ness had faced, he is unanimously considered superior to any of his previous incarnations, although several players use secondaries in order to complement the character on a national level.
===[[Official Custom Moveset Project]]===
===[[Official Custom Moveset Project]]===
{{OfficialCustomMoves
{{OfficialCustomMoves
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*{{Sm|taranito|Japan}} - One of the best Ness players in Japan. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Umebura 25}}, 9th at {{Trn|Umebura 26}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|EVO Japan 2018}} and {{Trn|Umebura 34}} with wins over {{Sm|Tsu}}, {{Sm|T}}, and {{Sm|Choco}}.
*{{Sm|taranito|Japan}} - One of the best Ness players in Japan. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Umebura 25}}, 9th at {{Trn|Umebura 26}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|EVO Japan 2018}} and {{Trn|Umebura 34}} with wins over {{Sm|Tsu}}, {{Sm|T}}, and {{Sm|Choco}}.
*{{Sm|The Great Gonzales|USA}} - The best Ness player in the Tri-state area. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Royal Flush}}, 13th at {{Trn|Collision XV}}, 17th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 3}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2018}} with wins over {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|WaDi}}, and {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}.
*{{Sm|The Great Gonzales|USA}} - The best Ness player in the Tri-state area. Placed 5th at {{Trn|Royal Flush}}, 13th at {{Trn|Collision XV}}, 17th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 3}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2018}} with wins over {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|WaDi}}, and {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}.
===Tier placement and history===
Opinions on Ness' competitive viability have shifted throughout the game's lifespan. During the early metagame, smashers immediately noticed the vast buffs made to Ness, including the removal of the 10 extra frame grab-release animations, significant improvements to his combo game, and edge-trumping making his recovery less exploitable. These buffs, alongside Ness having one of the best throw games in ''SSB4'', a highly versatile aerial game, and excellent KO power and damage output, led many players to believe that Ness was at least a high tier, with a few going as far as to call him a top tier. These claims were backed up with above-average results in competitive play throughout the first 2 years of the game's lifespan, with {{Sm|FOW}} playing 5th at {{Trn|GENESIS 3}} and 7th at {{Trn|EVO 2015}} and {{Sm|Shaky}} placing 7th at {{Trn|CEO 2015}} and 9th at GENESIS 3. Ness's positive reception solidified him into the 13th position on the first official ''4BR'' [[tier list]]. This reception continued onto the second tier list, where Ness saw a small drop to 16th, mainly due to the additions of {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} and {{SSB4|Corrin}}.
Over time, however, Ness' flaws came to be more apparent, with players noticing that his subpar mobility, mediocre ground game, and notably gimpable recovery made him struggle against several high and top tiers, most notably {{SSB4|Rosalina & Luma}} and {{SSB4|Corrin}}. As a result, opinions on Ness began to fall off drastically: his results stagnated as many of his best players became less active by the end of 2016. In addition, Ness's EarthBound semi-clone Lucas saw a shift in perception: while Lucas was initially considered inferior to Ness, over time opinions shifted the other way around due to Lucas' buffs received from patches and his commendable results thanks to {{Sm|Taiheita}}. At the same time, Ness gained new counters in the form of {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Lucina}}, whose buffs also helped create a large spike in popularity. Although Ness still saw strong results, such as FOW placing 17th at {{Trn|2GGT: ZeRo Saga}} and {{Sm|S1}} placing 5th at {{Trn|BEAST 7}}, it didn't compensate the loss of his stagnant results he had already suffered. This resulted in a much larger decline to 24th on the third tier list, being tied with {{SSB4|Pac-Man}} for the largest tier drop between the second and third tier lists; this drop also had him reassessed as a mid-tier character.
Throughout 2017, several mains began to return to the scene, with FOW briefly coming out of retirement to place 13th at {{Trn|2GGC: Nairo Saga}} and 25th at {{Trn|2GGC: Civil War}} respectively. NAKAT, despite using Ness as a secondary in favor of Fox in 2016, began to co-main Ness. With Ness, NAKAT saw great results such as 3rd at {{Trn|Smash Factor 6}}, 13th at {{Trn|EVO 2017}}, and 17th at both {{Trn|GameTyrant Expo 2017}} and {{Trn|2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga}}. Other notable players include {{Sm|The Great Gonzales}}, who placed 5th at {{Trn|Royal Flush}} and 17th at {{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 3}}, and {{Sm|Gackt}}, who had a breakout performance at {{Trn|The Big House 7}} by defeating {{Sm|ANTi}}, {{Sm|Locus}}, and {{Sm|Mistake}}, ultimately placing 17th. These improved results, however, failed to shift opinions on Ness as many top players, including {{Sm|ZeRo}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, {{Sm|MkLeo}}, and {{Sm|Nairo}}, widely believed that Lucas was superior to Ness. Due to this, Ness dropped once again on the fourth and current tier list to 28th, now sharing the spot with Lucas, though due to the expansion of the tiers, he was once again considered a high tier character.
This placement, as well as his tie with Lucas, was challenged in 2018 as several dedicated players, including Gackt, S1, and {{Sm|BestNess}}, continued to see above-average placements at a national level, with Gackt placing 17th at {{Trn|EVO Japan 2018}}, S1 placing 5th at {{Trn|Midwest Mayhem 11}}, and BestNess placing 13th at {{Trn|The Big House 8}}, to name a few. Furthermore, Lucas's results dropped significantly as {{Sm|Taiheita}} entered retirement. With Ness's rise by the end of the game's active lifespan as well as improved results over characters such as {{SSB4|Greninja}}, {{SSB4|Villager}}, and {{SSB4|Bowser}}, players such as Dabuz once again believed that Ness was the superior ''EarthBound'' character and deserved to be higher on the tier list.
Despite the ups and downs Ness had faced, he is unanimously considered superior to any of his previous incarnations, although several players use secondaries in order to complement the character on a national level.


==[[Trophies]]==
==[[Trophies]]==
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