Cloud (SSB4): Difference between revisions

Since his release, Cloud was believed to be a high-tier character, thanks to his incredible combination of range, mobility, power, and Limit Break mechanic; the latter in particular was highly valued for its ability to not only grant his special moves KO potential disproportionate for and beyond his weight class but also make them fast and safe, especially Cross Slash. This positive outlook on Cloud was even more apparent in doubles play, where he can greatly benefit from having a teammate to alleviate his weak recovery and helping to land his Limit Break specials as the finisher to team combos, while Cloud himself can provide stage control and wall out his opponents for his teammate. He had achieved strong results at both singles and doubles play right before the first [[tier list]] was released by the ''4BR'', thanks to professionals like {{Sm|komorikiri}}, {{Sm|Mew2King}} and {{Sm|Tweek}}. This led him to be ranked 12th on the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]], placing him at the middle of the B tier, which confirmed his high-tier status.

However, with the release of {{SSB4|Corrin}} and {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, the subsequent nerfs to them and other top-tier characters, and various advancements to his metagame, Cloud became a very popular character in tournaments. His own nerfs did not seriously hinder him, and he remained a fundamentally strong character choice for both newer and professional players, the latter of which saw {{Sm|MkLeo}} formally picking him up. This was apparent with him appearing more frequently in the top placings of tournaments in comparison to some top-tier characters like {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}, and consistently winning almost every major doubles event at tournaments. As a result of this spike in popularity and success, Cloud was ranked 2nd on the second tier list, placing him in the S tier; his tier rise was tied with {{SSB4|Palutena}}'s for the fifth highest between the first and second tier lists.

Despite this, Cloud's placement received mixed thoughts from the community, as his rather exploitable weaknesses held him back from consistently achieving top 8 placings in singles play for several national tournaments, such as [[EVO 2016]] (the highest ranking Cloud being komorikiri, who placed 17th) and [[Super Smash Con 2016]] (the highest ranking solo Cloud being Tweek, who placed 13th). However, Cloud's singles results became considerably more consistent, thanks to komorikiri placing 3rd, Tweek placing 13th, and Mew2King placing 25th, all at [[The Big House 6]], among others. In addition, Leo placed 1st, Tweek placed 9th, and komorikiri placed 7th at [[GENESIS 4]], all while primarily using Cloud until top 8 in the case of komorikiri and Leo. Although Cloud saw a very slight drop to 3rd place on the third tier list, his status as a very viable choice in competitive play remains firmly intact and, as of recently, he has achieved even more consistent results from the likes of komorikiri, Leo and Tweek, which has seen him rise to 2nd on the fourth tier list.

However, many smashers have questioned Cloud's tier placement as his results, despite being very impressive, have never been as impressive compared to other characters as a solo main as other characters such as {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}, {{SSB4|Sheik}}, {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}, {{SSB4|Fox}}, and {{SSB4|Rosalina}} have won majors in the past without the use of a secondary while Cloud has failed to do so. Many top smashers have also talked about Cloud's exploitable recovery and how many top players have become better at gimping him. Due to this, a few top smashers such as {{Sm|Mr.R}} and MkLeo claimed that Cloud is overrated and that he should be ranked slightly lower while other smashers claim that his polarizing strengths are too strong for him to be ranked any lower.