Template:Samus and Dark Samus in competitive play (SSBU)

Use this template to store information relevant to the metagame of and  in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Most historically significant players
See also: Category:Samus players (SSBU); Category:Dark Samus players (SSBU)


 * - Plays Samus alongside and . Placed 2nd at, 3rd at , 4th at , 5th at , and 9th at , with wins over players such as , , and.
 * - The best Samus player in the United States. Placed 9th at both and  as well as 13th at  with wins over players such as, , and . Ranked in the Area 51 on the PGRU v3 NA. Online, placed 4th at  and 7th at.
 * - One of the best Samus players in the world pre-quarantine. Placed 7th at, 9th at both and , 17th at , and 33rd at  with wins over players such as , , and . Ranked as high as 8th, and is currently an honorable mention, on the Mexican Power Rankings.
 * - One of the best Samus players in Japan in 2019. Placed 5th at, 9th at both and , and 13th at both  and  with wins over players such as , , and . Ranked 48th on the Japan Player Rankings.
 * - The best Samus player in the world during the early metagame. Placed 2nd at both, and , 3rd at , and 7th at  with wins over players such as , , and . Ranked 10th on the PGRU v3 EU.
 * - One of the two best Samus and Dark Samus players in the world. Placed 3rd at, 4th at , 5th at , and 9th at both and  with wins over players such as ,  and . Ranked 2nd on the PGRU v3 EU and 14th on the PGRU v3 NA.
 * - Placed 1st at, 5th at , 17th at both and , and 25th at  with wins over players such as , , and . Ranked in the Area 51 position on the PGRU v3 NA.
 * - One of the best Samus players in Japan. Placed 4th at, 5th at both and , 7th at , and 9th at  with wins over players such as , , and.
 * - One of the two best Samus and Dark Samus players in the world. Placed 3rd at, 4th at , and  and 9th at  with wins on players such as ,  and . Ranked 19th on the Experimental Smash Player Rankings.
 * - 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 and 13th at  with wins over, , and.

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. 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 and  have placed highly at several majors pre-pandemic, while the post-online metagame saw the rise of players such as, , and. 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.