Meta Knight (SSBU): Difference between revisions

Meta Knight was infamous for being the best character in ''Brawl'', to the point where he was universally considered to be [[broken]]. Although ''SSB4'' nerfed him drastically at launch, Meta Knight managed to secure a spot as a high tier character (16th out of 55 characters), thanks to the combination of his excellent mobility and recovery, great edge-guarding potential, numerous buffs from game updates and, most notoriously, his deadly punish game that allowed him to perform zero-to-death combos with his up aerial and [[Shuttle Loop]]. Possibly as a result of these strengths, Meta Knight has been nerfed in the transition from ''SSB4'' to ''Ultimate'', albeit not to the degree of his transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4''.

Meta Knight's already quick mobility has improved even further, and his aerials have considerably decreased [[landing lag]], even compared to most other characters' aerials, improving his [[neutral game]] and combo game. Some of his moves such as his [[tilt]]s and [[aerial]]s also have increased range, with his down tilt notably no longer possessing blind spots, and his neutral attack is more effective as a close-range option to rack up damage, due to having faster startup and linking much more reliably. Moreover, the changes to [[air dodging]] greatly complement his attributes, offering more opportunities to exploit his strong offstage game, while his [[recovery]] remains among the best.

However, the changes to Meta Knight's dash attack, which he relied on in the previous game, have worsened his combo and punish games. Due to the move having higher knockback and ending lag, follow-ups are unreliable beyond low percentages. On an extended note, dash attack's nerfs also hamper Meta Knight's KO potential, as it can no longer combo into [[Shuttle Loop]] at high percentages. The nerfs to [[rage]] exacerbate this: while Meta Knight's endurance is slightly improved, he can no longer abuse the mechanic to secure early vertical KOs due to Shuttle Loop's first hit now having [[set knockback]], and he has a harder time finishing off opponents in general.

Like {{SSBU|Captain Falcon}}, Meta Knight's increased traction also hinders his dash grab as an effective approach, punish, and burst option, and virtually removed his forward throw's combo potential. Furthermore, Meta Knight does not benefit from the expanded [[dash-canceling]] mechanic as much as other characters, since none of his tilts are reliable for KOing, down tilt is only decent at best for starting combos, and his smash attacks are unsafe.

Overall, Meta Knight's changes have generally toned down his most powerful tools and setups from ''SSB4'', and thus heightened his learning curve noticeably in the transition to ''Ultimate''. Meta Knight's biggest downfall, however, is that other characters with similar game plans to him (such as {{SSBU|Mario}} and {{SSBU|Zero Suit Samus}}) have benefitted from ''Ultimate''{{'}}s mechanics much more than he has. In addition, other characters that once struggled against him (such as {{SSBU|Peach}} and {{SSBU|Bowser}}) received noticeable buffs that allow them to fight on par with Meta Knight or even overwhelm him outright.

Due to the combination of these hindrances, Meta Knight's buffs from updates not being as noticeable as those received by numerous other characters, and his failure to attain the same level of success he had in ''SSB4'' (even in spite of the efforts of players such as {{sm|Abadango}}), Meta Knight is considered to be noticeably worse than he was in ''SSB4''. Although Meta Knight's perception initially fluctuated between that of a lower mid tier to a low tier character, he has nevertheless continued to achieve a respectable amount of success in tournaments, thanks to the likes of {{Sm|BONK!}}, {{Sm|Yei}}, and {{Sm|Lickey}}. As a result, the general consensus is that Meta Knight is not only a mid tier character, but also potentially underrated. Because of this, Meta Knight's overall viability is currently debatable.