User:Watashinoku1

Main information

Hi! My name's Dan. I'm 19, and I'm a casual/competitive (NOT professional) smasher from Georgia. I have been playing Super Smash Brothers ever since early 2002, in the days of Melee. So, that means I've been playing the game for over half of my life already! ^_^

My overall skill level through all four games: Highly experienced.

My personal Smash for 3DS/Wii U Tier List

Top Tier

1. Rosalina

• Reasons: Incredible damage racking abilities, great ways to space out opponents, great recovery and deceptively strong finishers even without Luma. She does have some terrible defense and limited range without Luma, but overall despite these flaws I find Rosalina to be the best character in the game despite the nerfs from the 1.0.4 update.

Rosalina benefits somewhat from custom moves, with Luma Warp being a good instant teleport attack/combo starter and Guardian Luma being a decently good shield option on an unsuspecting foe.

2. Zero Suit Samus

• Reasons: Very long range on certain attacks, good combo starters, great overall speed, good recovery and a few powerful finishers. While she is susceptible to vertical combos and her vertical recovery isn't quite the best, these flaws are (in my opinion) negligible and overall she is a wonderful character to use.

Zero Suit Samus has some good custom moves. Plasma Dash provides her with a quick dash that can easily pressure opponents with poor range, Impact Kick further powers up Boost Kick and Lateral Kick expands upon her horizontal recovery.

3. Roy

• Reasons: Incredible speed and power, good range in many attacks, great special moves and a surprisingly good horizontal recovery. Doesn't have the best ways to deal with projectiles or characters with better range (e.g. Link, Pit, etc.) but these flaws are negligible in my opinion as Roy was buffed greatly from Melee.

Roy has no access to custom moves.

4. Yoshi

• Reasons: A great air game, powerful smash attacks, good pressuring abilities and one of the best damage racking abilities, while also having very good edgeguarding moves. Despite lacking a "technical" third jump and having limited range with a terrible set of throws, I find Yoshi to be the best character from the original Super Smash Brothers in Smash 4.

Yoshi has a lot of good custom moves. Lick can act as a surprise finisher, High Jump improves Yoshi's vertical recovery, and both variations of Yoshi Bomb (Star Bomb and Crushing Bomb) deal more damage in varying aspects.

5. Shulk

• Reasons: Outstandingly strong range (farther than Marth's), good aerials, decent combo starters and many varying combat opportunities. He lacks a projectile and is potentially more vulnerable when the Monado Arts are active, but I find these flaws to be very small since Shulk has had a great fanbase in competitive play.

Shulk has a good set of custom specials. Decisive Monado Arts powers up Shulk's benefitting attribute without offering any drawbacks, while Power Vision (including customs) is the strongest counterattack in the game.

High Tier

6. Captain Falcon

• Reasons: Amazing speed on the ground, powerful attacks with good range and/or start-up, good combo starters and overall a great set of smash attacks. Does suffer from high vulnerability to vertical combos while not having the best recovery (and also lacking a projectile), but nevertheless I find Captain Falcon to be a great character whose strengths are very noticeable.

Captain Falcon slightly benefits from custom moves. Wind-up Raptor Boost can be situationally used as a good cross-up/mindgame attack while Falcon Strike improves his somewhat lacking recovery.

7. Pikachu

• Reasons: Great power (especially for a character of its weight class), good overall speed, decent aerials and a good set of specials. Pikachu does suffer from being a lightweight target with an average-sized frame, while its best finishers severely lack in range (save for dash attack, forward aerial and Skull Bash), though these flaws aren't enough to nerf it despite being high tier in Brawl.

Pikachu also receives only minor benefits from custom moves, with Thunder Wave being a good pressure option on grounded opponents while Distant Thunder can now Thunderspike as with the other Smash games.

8. Ness

• Reasons: Fast attacks, three projectiles, incredible grabs and throws (with his back throw being the game's strongest throw), and even equipped with an absorber and a reflector! Although his recovery is easily gimpable and he doesn't have the best KO moves, these flaws are minimal for Ness' metagame thanks to the removal of the 10-frame grab release that plagued him in Brawl.

Ness gains a plethora of great custom moves, with PK Freeze providing him with an additional approach option, PK Fire Burst being a more accurate spacing tool, Lasting PK Thunder making his recovery significantly less gimpable while both PSI Magnet customs (PSI Vacuum and Forward PSI Magnet) being good situational moves if certain conditions are met.

9. Sheik

• Reasons: Fast attacks, a good recovery, a new projectile, decent throws, great combo starters and very high mobility. Can't KO, rack up damage or space out as effectively as other characters, but regardless she is still a great character with great competitive success.

Sheik benefits noticeably from custom moves. Paralyzing Needles gives Sheik an additional shield pressuring option, while Pisces, despite losing its powerful forward throw combo, is much stronger than the default Bouncing Fish while having less lag overall.

10. Diddy Kong

• Reasons: Although he gained a great amount of nerfs in the 1.0.6/8 updates (e.g. weakened "Hoo-hah effectiveness, weaker up aerial), he is overall much stronger and faster while having more range, still being a great character regardless.

Diddy Kong has only one truly beneficial custom move: Rocketbarrel Attack. While it worsens his already linear recovery, it is overall a much stronger attack while dealing consistent damage throughout.

11. Sonic

• Reasons: Has one of the best and fastest ground games, decently powerful finishers, overall great throws and a great recovery. He doesn't have the best range and his best finishers don't have very much range; however, considering he has overall been buffed, these flaws are overall negligible since Sonic's greatest strengths still remain.

Sonic has access to some good custom moves. Stomp trumps his down aerial thanks to having a better meteor smash, Burning Spin Dash makes the default Spin Dash much better at racking up damage, and both Spin Charge variants (Auto-Spin Charge and Gravitational Charge) provide better approach options for Sonic.

Mid-High Tier

12. Mii Brawler

• Reasons: Great power, speed and range, decent juggling abilities and overall a great aerial game. Has some noticeable end lag in some attacks and only has one projectile available, but overall a very viable character regardless.

Mii Brawler, being one of four characters with completely different custom specials, has a very diverse custom special movepool. Ultimate Uppercut can be used as an effective surprise attack at medium-high KO percentages, Burning Dropkick is a good KO option/recovery move that doesn't provide helplessness, Piston Punch is a powerful vertical finisher while being a great combo attack out of a down throw, and Feint Jump improves its recovery.

13. Lucario

• Reasons: Has a good air game, decent range and attacks that power up with damage sustained (noticeably starting in the 35-55 damage range) while being very tough to edgeguard. It's not very powerful at lower percentages (only able to KO typically at percentages where it would be vulnerable), but overall this nerf is negligible as Lucario now has among the best attacks if at higher percentages.

Lucario has a few decently good custom specials, with Snaring Aura Sphere gaining a wind effect while being able to rack up damage much better, Piercing Aura Sphere being a much faster projectile that hits at a lower angle, Ride the Wind being even better for recovery and Glancing Counter being a good dodge tool.

14. Duck Hunt

• Reasons: A good air game, strong smash attacks with good range, a great damage racking ability (neutral attack, down air, Clay Shooting) and probably the best projectile/ranged game in Smash 4! Though it does suffer from some terrible hitbox placements and a predictable recovery, these weaknesses aren't enough to hamper its amazing pressuring game.

Duck Hunt is a mixed bag (IMO) when it comes to custom moves; Zig-Zag Shot can repeatedly knock an opponent into the air, resulting in a potential OHKO, High-Explosive Shot is a faster option that covers more range and Mega Gunman can act as a temporary shield. However, its two Duck Jump variants (Duck Jump Snag and Super Duck Jump) are both situational moves that only benefit under varying conditions.

15. Mario

• Reasons: Mario is a fast character with good KO options, a good recovery, fairly decent range and overall good throws. Although he does suffer from being outclassed by varying character attributes, he is overall a great character regardless; as a result, I find him to be a great character with plenty of balance.

Mario is very polarizing with custom moves on, although he can benefit from them regardless. Fast Fireball fires a much faster straight fireball, both Cape variants (Shocking Cape and Gust Cape) provide Mario with new edgeguarding tools and High-Pressure FLUDD is overall much better at ranged edgeguarding.

16. Luigi

• Reasons: Good combo starters, good at edgeguarding, an overall decent set of throws and a better neutral game. Suffers from having a subpar recovery (though it can be extended) and very low traction, but regardless I find Luigi to be a good character.

Luigi is a very powerful character with customs on. Ice Ball, despite losing speed, lasts longer and has a chance to freeze starting at higher percentages. Both variations of Green Missile (Floating Missile and Quick Missile) aid greatly in Luigi's mediocre recovery. Burial Header goes higher, falls faster and buries grounded opponents, though it does lose its powerful sweetspot, and Mach Cyclone can be button mashed to gain much more vertical distance while being a good edgeguarding tool.

17. Ryu

• Reasons: Good speed and power, has access to enhanced specials that can be used to pressure opponents, a good recovery (if extended) and overall a great combo game. Does suffer from a subpar aerial approach and a lack of range, but overall I find him to be a balanced character like Mario.

Ryu has no access to custom moves.

18. Greninja

• Reasons: Incredible speed, decent power, great recovery and many good approach options that can trump even the fastest of other characters. Greninja does suffer from a below-average grab game and long lag in its attacks, but overall I find Greninja to be a rather viable character competitively.

Greninja really has only two beneficial custom moves: Shifting Shuriken and Exploding Attack; the former is a very powerful combo tool depending on the opponent, while the latter can be considered the perfect "invincibility strike" attack due to its great power.

19. Link

• Reasons: Great range, power and speed, good combo starters, has access to three projectiles and overall great at edgeguarding thanks to a revamped down aerial. Link does suffer from vulnerability to combos and slow speed on the ground and in the air, but regardless I would think that Link is better than he ever was in any other Smash game.

Link has a few good custom specials. Power Bow, at the cost of being harder to KO with, is a much stronger attack that can KO reliably. Ripping Boomerang is great at racking up damage while reliably setting up some combos. However, probably his best custom special is Meteor Bomb, which gives Link a better and more practical meteor smash on aerial opponents while being able to stop grounded opponents.

20. Robin

• Reasons: Amazing power with the Levin Sword, has access to some of the best specials in the game (three projectiles and a "vampire" attack) and possesses some great combo setups (e.g. up tilt, down throw). Does suffer from disadvantages against absorbers/reflectors, slow speed and a "durability mechanic", but overall a suitable character for competitive play.

Robin doesn't benefit much from custom moves. Speed Thunder is overall a much faster projectile that sacrifices much of its power, while Arcfire+ is a stronger and more reliable projectile, though it loses some camping utility.

Mid Tier

21. R.O.B.

• Reasons: Good combo starters, great mobility on the ground and in the air, and a great set of special moves while having very strong finishers. Does suffer from noticeable lag on its attacks while having a predictable recovery (albeit a long-lasting one nevertheless), but I find R.O.B. to be a viable character regardless.

R.O.B. has many good custom moves. Wide-Angle Beam gives R.O.B. better pressuring on opponents above it, Reflector Arm acts as a stronger and more traditional reflector, and Robo Rocket is a more conventional recovery that can situationally set up an edgeguard.

22. Mii Gunner

• Reasons: Good range, many projectiles (up to 6 in a single moveset!), decently good finishers and can either absorb or reflect energy projectiles. Does suffer from slightly below average speed and some lag in some attacks while having a bad grab game, but overall a decently good character regardless since it has great pressuring abilities.

Mii Gunner has access to many different moves thanks to having completely different custom specials; Laser Blaze can rack up damage on opponents while slightly pushing them back, Gunner Missile can be used to pressure unsuspecting foes, Arm Rocket is a decently good recovery option and Echo Reflector can easily KO an opponent off a strong enough projectile should it be reflected.

23. Ike

• Reasons: Lots of powerful finishers, good combo setups and long range. Ike has a linear recovery and can't deal with projectiles very effectively, but overall I find him to be one of the most improved characters from Brawl to Smash 4 courtesy of the 1.0.4-8 updates.

Ike gains varying benefits with custom moves on; Tempest charges quicker and pushes back opponents, Close Combat improves his horizontal recovery by moving much farther and faster, Aether Drive also improves Ike's horizontal recovery (though with slightly reduced vertical distance), and Paralyzing Counter gives Ike a potential followup should he manage to counter an attack.

24. Peach

• Reasons: One of the best recoveries in the game, deceptively powerful finishers, decent combo starters and an effective counterattack! Although she suffers from limited range (except for her forward smash, forward aerial, up aerial and Toad) while being easily vulnerable to powerful attacks herself, I think we can all agree that she's much better than in Brawl thanks to her improved power and speed.

Peach's only notable custom move (IMO) is Flying Peach Bomber; it is harder to hit with, but it is more than compensated with by greatly improved range and knockback.

25. Bowser

• Reasons: Very hard hitting attacks, high survivability and surprisingly good range and speed. Does suffer from lack of proper combo setups and potential vulnerability, but overall Bowser is much better than he was in his two previous games.

Bowser benefits greatly from custom moves. Fire Shot can pressure opponents from far away while not requiring a recharge, while Flying Fortress significantly improves his vertical recovery. However, his best move is Dash Slash, a great horizontal recovery move/cross-up attack that improves his overall mobility even more.

26. Falco

• Reasons: Does have some good finishers, good combo setups and a great recovery. Still suffers from being slow and vulnerable to vertical combos, but overall Falco (in my opinion) is still a viable character.

Falco is very polarizing when it comes to custom moves: While both Blaster variants give some different combat opportunities, they can potentially worsen his defense. However, what might be his best move is Accele-Reflector; while it can only reflect while moving forward, this drawback is negligible as it's already hard to reflect on the way back to begin with, while the actual reflecting portion speeds up projectiles.

27. Dark Pit

• Reasons: Good combo starters, a decently good set of finishers (e.g. forward smash, up smash, Electroshock Arm) and two reflectors! Suffers from poor power in comparison to the rest of the cast, but overall an acceptable character.

Dark Pit only benefits from his neutral special with customs on; Piercing Bow can mow down multiple targets while dealing stronger knockback, and Guiding Bow has more control but less power.

28. Fox

• Reasons: Finishers that are acceptable, some good combo starters, a great recovery and a reflector! Fox infamously suffers from his very high vulnerability to combos while being very easy to KO; overall, even though Fox is situationally useful, I find him to be weaker than his Brawl version.

Fox gains great power from custom moves, with Impact Blaster and Flying Fox being his best customs; the former can more easily rack up damage, while the latter can KO at very low percentages towards the upper blast line (especially if all hits land).

29. Lucas

• Reasons: Very strong finishers, good damage racking abilities, some good combo starters and a very diverse movepool. Does suffer from an overall weaker approach than in Brawl, but overall I believe Lucas has notably improved.

Lucas has no access to custom moves.

30. Donkey Kong

• Reasons: Great power, range and speed while also having a great set of throws and finishers. Does suffer from terrible survivability while being easily susceptible to meteor smashes, but overall I think Donkey Kong is at least semi-viable.

Donkey Kong benefits greatly from custom moves, with both variations of Headbutt and Giant Punch giving him more approach options, while Kong Cyclone greatly improves his neutral game thanks to giving him super armor while having increased knockback and a suction effect.

Mid-Low Tier

31. Kirby

• His range, combo ability and overall damage racking ability were all toned down from Brawl, most notably with his down throw. However, I still find Kirby to be a good character since his recovery, speed and power are still very good for a super-lightweight.

Kirby has a few good custom moves, but his best one is Upper Cutter, a rising slash that goes higher and faster while dealing more knockback. It falls slower while leaving him helpless, but this drawback is negligible as the benefits are notable enough for the move to be considered one of the best customs in the game.

32. Pit

• Reasons: Same as Dark Pit, but overall lacks the proper edgeguarding tools. I find him to be weaker than his Brawl iteration due to lacking KO power in comparison to the rest of the cast, but at the same time, I find him to be at least semi-viable despite the nerfs.

Pit benefits from custom moves the same way Dark Pit does.

33. Mr. Game & Watch

• Reasons: Poor endurance (notably with the removal/bugfix of Bucket Braking), and weaker hitbox placements/durations while his best finishers were weakened. While he has a much better grab game and easier times setting up combos and racking up damage, he is overall weaker than in Brawl (though far better than his Melee version) due to the nerfs being stronger than the buffs.

Mr. Game and Watch has a few good custom specials, with Short-Order Chef being able to space better while Chain Judge can rack up damage with ease.

34. Mega Man

• Reasons: Although Mega Man does have probably the best projectile game in Smash 4 (along with good melee attacks), he suffers notably from vulnerability to vertical combos, a disadvantage against characters with reflectors and long end lag in his attacks.

Mega Man has some good custom moves, with Plant Barrier being stronger and more durable, while Skull Barrier can reflect projectiles.

35. Pac-Man

• Reasons: Suffers from an almost unique flaw in which all 4 of his custom moves can be turned against him. He also suffers from slightly below average KO power; however, despite these flaws, his recovery is great and he can pressure opponents with ease thanks to Bonus Fruit's varying effects (though at the same time, despite his strengths actually being better than his weaknesses as I see, he is mid-low on my tier list due to disadvantages and weak matchups against the rest of the cast.).

Pac-Man gains many benefits with customs on, with both Bonus Fruit/Pac-Jump variations giving different combat opportunities. On-Fire Hydrant loses its push ability, but shoots fire instead of water and is overall a better offensive move.

36. Toon Link

• Reasons: His recovery, range and power were toned down from his previous game with his best moves (e.g. forward tilt, forward smash, down air, etc.) being weakened. While his grab game was improved and his speed is overall better, he is still weaker than his Brawl incarnation due to disadvantages against other characters.

Toon Link has some benefits if custom moves are on. Fire Arrow improves Toon Link's combo game and spacing game, Floating Boomerang can more easily pressure opponents, and Short-Fused Bomb is much stronger, being able to KO properly.

37. Samus

• Reasons: Although Samus has been improved from Brawl courtesy of an improved close-range game while having better finishers (and a better air game), her projectiles have been made weaker, and her best moves from previously are weaker to where they can only KO in Sudden Death percentages. However, I find her to be situationally viable depending on the player used.

Samus does not benefit much from custom moves, though she has two beneficial customs: Dense Charge Shot and Apex Screw Attack; the former, while much slower, is much bigger, stronger, and longer-lasting, while the latter is a significantly stronger Screw Attack that can easily KO in the 55-75 range.

38. Zelda

• Reasons: Poor endurance, bad range and has trouble setting up combos. While her speed, power and ability to sweetspot were all improved (to the point where I find Zelda better than in Melee), she lacks in comparison to the rest of the cast due to the aforementioned flaws.

While Zelda does have two of the worst customs in the game (Nayru's Rejection and Farore's Windfall), she gains some benefits regardless. Din's Blaze deals much stronger knockback while having a bigger blast with more vertical control, and Phantom Breaker, despite traveling a set distance, is a much stronger KO option.

39. Villager

• Reasons: Terrible range, limited ground mobility, high end lag in some attacks and a recovery that (while still strong) was greatly nerfed in previous game updates. Does have some great KO tools and a delayable reflector, but overall a weak character due to disadvantages with the rest of the cast.

Villager's custom moves are polarizing, but his best two customs are Extreme Balloon Trip and Timber Counter; the former is a very powerful KO tool should the balloons connect, while the latter allows him to place a permanent tripping hazard on the stage (though the tree deals less knockback).

Low Tier

40. Lucina

• Reasons: Poor range for a sword wielder while not having the strongest of smash attacks, along with a subpar recovery. Lucina does have some strengths (no sword sourspot, consistent damage, being harder to hit); however, even though the weaknesses only slightly outweigh the strengths, she suffers from poor disadvantages from the rest of the roster (especially if her opponent has better range).

Custom moves address some of Lucina's shortcomings, with Crescent Slash being a situational KO tool that also gives her some horizontal recovery. Iai Counter, while having a stricter window, comes out earlier and deals stronger knockback.

41. Marth

• Reasons: While he does theoretically have more disjoint, he suffers from less range while his best moves (e.g. down tilt, forward air, down air, Dancing Blade, etc.) were greatly weakened without much compensation for the nerfs.

Marth benefits from custom moves the same way Lucina does.

42. Mewtwo

• Reasons: Very poor endurance, weaker throws and weaker range while being slower overall. Even though Mewtwo received an increase in speed and power from his Melee iteration (with me finding him better as a result), his flaws are enough to place him in the low tier.

Mewtwo has no access to custom moves.

43. Jigglypuff

• Reasons: Terrible endurance (particularly from its high shield jump), limited range and combo ability and overall a weak neutral game. While its power, speed and grab game have improved with its recovery still being good, its tournament representation is still weak overall due to the aforementioned flaws (though it's much better than in Brawl).

While Jigglypuff has two poor custom moves (Wakie Wakie and Spinphony), she benefits from two others: Relentless Rollout and Pound Blitz; the former is much more suited for recovery, while the latter, despite being more punishable, is better suited to break shields.

44. Meta Knight

• Reasons: Meta Knight was infamously considered the best character in Brawl, so in this game, his best attributes (range, combo setups, aerial attacks, and his recovery) were greatly toned down without much compensation for the nerfs he received (though his strengths still show in some capacity).

Meta Knight is a mixed bag with custom moves on, not gaining much benefit (but not many drawbacks) in the process; his two best moves are Entangling Tornado and High-Speed Drill. The former is better for trapping opponents while dealing higher knockback, and the latter is much better for recovery (though it can only move forward).

Trivia

Smash 64

• My three mains are Mario, Pikachu, and Kirby.
• My least favorite character is Link.
• I played Smash 64 in between January 26, 2008 and some time in the middle of 2011 (can't remember when or why... bummer.).

Melee

• My three mains are Captain Falcon, Dr. Mario, and Mewtwo.
• My least favorite character is Yoshi.
• I played Melee in between early 2002 and January of 2015, but made a revival just recently!

Brawl

• My three mains are Lucario, Olimar, and Sonic.
• My least favorite character is Jigglypuff.
• I played Brawl in between its launch date of March 9, 2008 and April of 2013, because I was losing my Brawl skill (where I was getting into a "Melee Revival").

Project M

• My three mains are Ganondorf, Mewtwo, and Samus.
• My least favorite character is Ice Climbers.
• I don't play casually, but rather competitively. I started playing competitive Project M on September 27, 2014.

Smash for 3DS/Wii U

• My mains: Greninja, Shulk, Palutena, Mario, Pikachu, Zero Suit Samus, Pikachu, Megaman and Peach. Sometimes Samus, Link and Captain Falcon. Lots of variety!
• I have played Smash for 3DS since its launch date on October 3, 2014.
• I have played Smash for Wii U since its launch date on November 21, 2014. Smash for Wii U is my #1 favorite game, and it's one of those games I'm really good at (though my For Glory Win-Loss ratio of 49%-51% isn't the best... but I'm trying!).

Other

• I have never played Project M at my house.
• I have two Wii U's: One for Smash for Wii U, and one for other games (e.g. Sonic Lost World, Mario Kart 8, Nintendo Land, etc.)
• My catchphrase is: "Smash till you drop!"
• My favorite color is navy blue.
• My favorite game represented in Smash is Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.
• My favorite game that isn't represented in Smash is Trials Fusion.
• My favorite mobile game is Fruit Ninja.