Ness (SSBU): Difference between revisions

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→‎Tier placement and history: "What's more" sounded really awkward, also moved the bit about the US ranking Ness higher into the last paragraph, but not sure if it could be tweaked. Would be a good idea to add a reference for that part though
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m (→‎Tier placement and history: "What's more" sounded really awkward, also moved the bit about the US ranking Ness higher into the last paragraph, but not sure if it could be tweaked. Would be a good idea to add a reference for that part though)
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Initial opinions of Ness were fairly positive, as the numerous buffs he received during the transition from ''Smash 4'' and the addition of several new mechanics in ''Ultimate'' improved his neutral, advantage, recovery, and movement options. Ness' early results reflected these improvements: The character saw strong performances at majors from players such as {{Sm|Gackt}} and {{Sm|Scend}}; regionally, he was represented well by a multitude of players, including {{Sm|ATATA}}, {{Sm|Awestin}}, {{Sm|PeW}}, {{Sm|S1}}, and {{Sm|FOW}}. As such, Ness was widely considered a high-tier character in the early metagame of ''Ultimate''. Notably, perception of Ness is even higher in online play, as the presence of increased [[Wi-Fi lag|input lag]] ostensibly made his quick aerials even safer and his recovery more difficult to challenge, allowing players such as Scend and {{Sm|Syrup}} to flourish during the [[COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash|COVID-19 pandemic]], which temporarily relegated all large tournaments to an online format.  
Initial opinions of Ness were fairly positive, as the numerous buffs he received during the transition from ''Smash 4'' and the addition of several new mechanics in ''Ultimate'' improved his neutral, advantage, recovery, and movement options. Ness' early results reflected these improvements: The character saw strong performances at majors from players such as {{Sm|Gackt}} and {{Sm|Scend}}; regionally, he was represented well by a multitude of players, including {{Sm|ATATA}}, {{Sm|Awestin}}, {{Sm|PeW}}, {{Sm|S1}}, and {{Sm|FOW}}. As such, Ness was widely considered a high-tier character in the early metagame of ''Ultimate''. Notably, perception of Ness is even higher in online play, as the presence of increased [[Wi-Fi lag|input lag]] ostensibly made his quick aerials even safer and his recovery more difficult to challenge, allowing players such as Scend and {{Sm|Syrup}} to flourish during the [[COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash|COVID-19 pandemic]], which temporarily relegated all large tournaments to an online format.  


Ness has remained popular in the post-online metagame, with representation in or around the top 20 among all characters. Although he continues to see high tournament placements, he has generally underperformed his online results, and his weaknesses have become more apparent over time. As in previous Smash titles, Ness' limited attack range hinders his neutral against certain characters, particularly swordfighters such as {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Shulk}}. He also struggles to recover without the use of his double jump, and his floatiness leaves him susceptible to juggling. What's more, several characters introduced via [[DLC]] are believed to be overpowered, rendering traditional characters less appealing by comparison. Given his pronounced strengths and weaknesses, even Ness' strongest players face inconsistency — Gackt followed a top 3 finish at {{Trn|Kagaribi 7}} with 49th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 8}} a month later — or have picked up secondaries to alleviate Ness' weaknesses. For example, Syrup eventually adopted {{SSBU|Steve}} as a co-main.  
Ness has remained popular in the post-online metagame, with representation in or around the top 20 among all characters. Although he continues to see high tournament placements, he has generally underperformed his online results, and his weaknesses have become more apparent over time. As in previous Smash titles, Ness' limited attack range hinders his neutral against certain characters, particularly swordfighters such as {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Shulk}}. He also struggles to recover without the use of his double jump, and his floatiness leaves him susceptible to juggling. Furthermore, several characters introduced via [[DLC]] are believed to be overpowered, rendering traditional characters less appealing by comparison. Given his pronounced strengths and weaknesses, even Ness' strongest players face inconsistency — Gackt followed a top 3 finish at {{Trn|Kagaribi 7}} with 49th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 8}} a month later — or have picked up secondaries to alleviate Ness' weaknesses. For example, Syrup eventually adopted {{SSBU|Steve}} as a co-main.  


Ness debuted at 40th out of 82 characters on ''Ultimate's'' first "official" tier list, ranking in the "B+" or "upper mid tier." Although many in the community still consider Ness a solid high-tier, especially in the United States, some players, notably in Japan, hold a lower opinion of the character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.start.gg/ultranks-first-official-ssbu-tier-list-4a35bf3dcfc3|title=First Official SSBU Tier List}}, data located in the "Regional Differences" section</ref> As Syrup made the transition to {{SSBU|Steve}} and Scend's performances at major events declined, Ness fell seven spots on the second LumiRank tier list, dropping to the "B-" tier — although some regions, especially the United States and Latin America, ranked Ness higher.  
The shifting opinions on Ness' viability was reflected during the voting for ''Ultimate''{{'}}s first [[tier list]], with opinions on his viability being noticeably different across regions: Japan in particular ranked him a much lower compared to other countries, especially the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.start.gg/ultranks-first-official-ssbu-tier-list-4a35bf3dcfc3|title=First Official SSBU Tier List}}, data located in the "Regional Differences" section</ref> Due to this, Ness debuted at 40th out of 82 characters on ''Ultimate's'' first tier list, in the B+ tier. Following this, Syrup made the transition to {{SSBU|Steve}} while regulating Ness as a secondary, and Scend's performances at major events declined. Reflecting his decline, Ness fell seven spots on the second LumiRank tier list, dropping to the B- tier.


Despite his middling tier list placement, Ness still enjoys strong results at most levels of competition: Gackt remains the preeminent representative of Ness at major and supermajor tournaments, earning the 27th spot on the [[LumiRank 2023]] and managing to defeat {{Sm|MkLeo}} (along with top 20 players {{Sm|Yaura}} and {{Sm|Asimo}}) at {{Trn|GENESIS X}}, while ATATA and Scend produce high placements at the regional level. Overall, Ness' incredible offensive tools are offset by weaknesses in his neutral and disadvantage; he therefore remains a popular yet polarizing character in competitive play.
Despite his middling tier list placement, Ness still enjoys strong results at most levels of competition: Gackt remains the preeminent representative of Ness at major and supermajor tournaments, earning the 27th spot on the [[LumiRank 2023]] and managing to defeat {{Sm|MkLeo}} (along with top 20 players {{Sm|Yaura}} and {{Sm|Asimo}}) at {{Trn|GENESIS X}}, while ATATA and Scend produce high placements at the regional level. As such, opinions of Ness' current stance in the metagame continued to vary across regions: while some regions, especially Japan, continue to believe Ness lacks the representation for a higher tier placing, some regions, especially the United States and Latin America, still view Ness as a solid high-tier character and ranked him higher for the second tier list. Overall, Ness' incredible offensive tools are offset by weaknesses in his neutral and disadvantage; he therefore remains a popular yet polarizing character in competitive play.


=={{SSBU|Classic Mode}}: Home to Onett!==
=={{SSBU|Classic Mode}}: Home to Onett!==