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  - The best Samus player in the United States. Placed 9th at both Let's Make Big Moves 2022 and Save Point: The PA State Championship as well as 13th at Super Smash Con: Fall Fest with wins over players such as Cosmos, ESAM, and Riddles. Ranked in the Area 51 on the PGRU v3 NA. Online, placed 4th at Ultimate Naifu Wars 8 and 7th at Frame Perfect Series 3: ONLINE.
•  Joker  - One of the best Samus players in the world pre-quarantine. Placed 7th at 2GG: SwitchFest 2019, 9th at both Low Tier City 7 and Smash Fest to the Sky, 17th at The Big House 9, and 33rd at GENESIS 7 with wins over players such as ESAM, WaDi, and Rivers. Ranked as high as 8th, and is currently an honorable mention, on the Mexican Power Rankings.
•  parme  - One of the best Samus players in Japan in 2019. Placed 5th at Sumabato SP 23, 9th at both Sumabato SP 6 and Sumabato SP 12, and 13th at both Sumabato SP 5 and Sumabato SP 9 with wins over players such as T, Nishiya, and Kie. Ranked 48th on the Japan Player Rankings.
•  quiK  - The best Samus player in the world during the early metagame. Placed 2nd at both Syndicate 2019, Valhalla III and e-Caribana, 3rd at VCA 2019, and 7th at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 with wins over players such as Samsora, Glutonny, and KEN. Ranked 10th on the PGRU v3 EU.
•  sisqui  - The best Dark Samus player in the world. Placed 3rd at e-Caribana, 4th at Rise 'N Grind, 5th at COLOSSEL 2022, and 9th at both Smash World Tour 2021 Championships and GENESIS 8 with wins over players such as Glutonny, Riddles and Tweek. Ranked 2nd on the PGRU v3 EU and 14th on the PGRU v3 NA.
•  Teaser  - Placed 1st at Set Count: 2-0, 5th at DreamHack Atlanta 2022, 17th at both GENESIS 8 and Let's Make Moves Miami, and 25th at MomoCon 2022 with wins over players such as Kola, Goblin, and Dark Wizzy. Ranked in the Area 51 position on the PGRU v3 NA.
•  Toura  - One of the best Samus players in Japan. Placed 4th at Sumabato SP 19, 5th at both Umebura SP 9 and Sumabato SP 18, 7th at Mēsuma, and 9th at Maesuma TOP 9 with wins over players such as Atelier, Aaron, and DIO.
•  Yaura  - One of the best Samus and Dark Samus players in the world. Placed 3rd at Sumabato SP 34, 4th at Maesuma TOP 10 Maesuma TOP 5, and KOWLOON 2 and 9th at Kagaribi 5 with wins on players such as acola, ProtoBanham, and Hero. Ranked 19th on the Experimental Smash Player Rankings.
•  YB  - The best Dark Samus player in Japan's online metagame. Placed 1st at Tamisuma SP 38, and 2nd at Tamisuma SP 56. Previously ranked 1st on the 1st Smashmate SP ranking, 4th SP ranking, 7th SP ranking, 9th SP ranking, 10th SP ranking, and 11th SP ranking. Offline, placed 9th at Karisuma SP 8 and 13th at 2GG: Prime Saga with wins over ESAM, WaDi, and VoiD.

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. As a result, there was little confidence in Samus and Dark Samus's success in competitive play.

This viewpoint, however, quickly changed as the metagame progressed. Players cited Samus's improved projectile game and KO potential, as well as her and Dark Samus's terrifying shield-break potential with Charge Shot as one of their primary strengths. Although the latter was nerfed in balance changes, their Charge Shot remains a strong part of their moveset thanks to its combo and KO abilities. Futhermore, both Samus and Dark Samus, the latter of whom is preferred by some players due to her marginally better hitboxes and roll, continued to see success in tournament: players such as Joker and quiK have placed highly at several majors pre-pandemic, while the post-online metagame saw the rise of players such as Sisqui, IcyMist, and Yaura. As a result, their representation in the metagame has been rising, notably peaking in the top 10 in 2022, and they are widely considered a high-tier character, which is reflected in their 25th-place ranking on the current tier list.