List of NTSC tier lists (disambiguation)

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The Smash Back Room tier list has changed many times since its inception. Previous versions of the list are as follows. In later tier lists, characters are broadly ranked by their tier, and further ranked by the order in which characters are listed within the tier list. For instance, Falco is ranked above Samus in the fourth tier list. Earlier tier lists use numerical rankings, and characters with the same numerical value are listed alphabetically.

Melee

First tier list (October 8, 2002)

Though this was the first tier list, Smash World Forums was rife with discussion about tiers long before the Melee Back Room released its "MBR Tier Averages." The term "F/F/S" (short for "Falco, Fox and Sheik") was popular as a quick reference to Melee's top tier. Members on Smashboards, perhaps in backlash against novice sentiment towards Roy and Link, generally disdained those characters, and generally favored the game's fastest characters.

Members on Smashboards largely contested this tier list's placement of Mewtwo, which they felt to be too low. Many Smashboarders considered Mewtwo a low or even middle tier character and were bothered that he, despite his great recovery and powerful throws, was placed at the bottom of bottom tier, where most people believed Bowser belonged.

Second tier list (December 19, 2002)

For the second tier list, the Melee Back Room not only averaged the votes for every character to determine a tier list, but also calculated the mode of characters' placements.

Mean

  • 2.2: Sheik
  • 2.3: Fox
  • 3.9: Falco
  • 4.4: Peach
  • 4.7: Marth
  • 8.5: Mario
  • 8.8: Dr. Mario
  • 9.6: Samus
  • 10.0: Luigi
  • 11.0: Ganondorf and Jigglypuff
  • 13.0: Captain Falcon and Ice Climbers
  • 15.0: Zelda, Ness and Link
  • 16.0: Pikachu
  • 17.0: Yoshi and Young Link
  • 20.0: Roy and Donkey Kong
  • 21.0: Mr. Game and Watch, Kirby and Bowser
  • 23.0: Mewtwo
  • 24.0: Pichu

Mode

  • 1: Sheik
  • 2: Fox
  • 3: Falco
  • 4: Peach
  • 5: Marth, Zelda
  • 6: Samus
  • 7: Ganondorf
  • 9: Dr. Mario
  • 10: Jigglypuff, Mario
  • 11: C.Falcon
  • 12: Luigi
  • 13: Ice Climbers
  • 14: Link
  • 15: Young Link
  • 16: Ness
  • 18: Yoshi
  • 20: Pikachu
  • 22: Bowser
  • 23: Donkey Kong, Roy
  • 24: Kirby, Mewtwo
  • 25: Pichu
  • 26: Mr. Game and Watch

Third tier list (June 23, 2003)

Top Tier Upper Tier Middle Tier Bottom Tier
Sheik
Mario
Ice Climbers
Mr. Game & Watch
Fox
Dr. Mario
Yoshi
Kirby
Falco
Luigi
Ness
Mewtwo
Marth
Samus
Pikachu
Pichu
Peach
Jigglypuff
Roy
Bowser
Captain Falcon
Link
Ganondorf
Young Link
Zelda
Donkey Kong

This tier list was released soon after Ken Hoang won Tournament Go 4. Before Ken, Marth strategy largely encompassed rolling and C-stick smashing symptomatic of low-level play today, but Ken introduced to the community the uses of dash-dancing, chain throwing and aerial attacks, all techniques that largely improved Marth's metagame and moved him to top tier for years to come.

This is the first tier list that officially ranks characters into tiers.

Fourth tier list (July 1, 2003)

Top Tier Upper Tier Middle Tier Lower Tier Bottom Tier
Sheik
Falco
Pikachu
Donkey Kong
Mewtwo
Fox
Samus
Yoshi
Mr. Game & Watch
Pichu
Marth
Mario/Dr. Mario
Ice Climbers
Kirby
Bowser
Peach
Jigglypuff
Zelda
Ganondorf
Ness
Captain Falcon
Link/Young Link
Luigi
Roy

Fifth tier list (September 29, 2003)

Top Tier Upper Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier
Sheik
Fox
Samus
Yoshi
Ness
Mr. Game & Watch
Marth
Peach
Captain Falcon
Link
Kirby
Pichu
Falco
Ganondorf
Roy
Donkey Kong
Bowser
Mario
Pikachu
Mewtwo
Dr. Mario
Young Link
Jigglypuff
Ice Climbers
Luigi
Zelda

Sixth tier list (April Fools: March 31, 2004)

Top Tier Upper Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier
Sheik
Fox
Marth
Ganondorf
Young Link
Zelda
Jigglypuff
Captain Falcon
Roy
Samus
Kirby
Pichu
Falco
Peach
Mewtwo
Pikachu
Bowser
Link
Luigi
Ness
Mr. Game & Watch
Ice Climbers
Mario
Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario

This tier list doubled as an April Fools joke and a lesson to the community to not blindly swallow the Melee Back Room tier list as the truth. Though most people suspected this tier list was a hoax, it set a precedent to criticizing the tier list that had not existed before.

To "defend" this hoax during the two tumultuous days it was the official tier list, Melee Back Room members argued that Marth was too slow to remain in the top two tiers, that Link had untapped aerial prowess, and that Jigglypuff, through speed and the Wall of Pain, ruled the air to the point of domination.

The Melee Back Room forgot to include Yoshi in this tier list; once people realized he was missing, the MBR placed him in middle tier, between Ness and Mario.

Sixth tier list (April 2, 2004)

Top Tier Upper Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier
Sheik
Falco
Ganondorf
Link
Ness
Bowser
Fox
Peach
Mario
Pikachu
Donkey Kong
Pichu
Marth
Captain Falcon
Dr. Mario
Ice Climbers
Kirby
Samus
Luigi
Roy
Mr. Game & Watch
Jigglypuff
Zelda
Mewtwo
Young Link
Yoshi

Seventh tier list (March 19, 2005)

Top Tier Upper Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier
Sheik
Peach
Jigglypuff
Luigi
Ness
Mewtwo
Fox
Falco
Dr. Mario
Link
Young Link
Pichu
Marth
Captain Falcon
Ganondorf
Roy
Yoshi
Samus
Mario
Donkey Kong
Kirby
Ice Climbers
Pikachu
Mr. Game & Watch
Zelda
Bowser

Eighth tier list (July 8, 2006)

Top Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier Bottom Tier
Fox
Sheik
Captain Falcon
Link
Yoshi
Falco
Marth
Ice Climbers
Luigi
Zelda
Peach
Samus
Donkey Kong
Mr. Game & Watch
Dr. Mario
Roy
Ness
Jigglypuff
Young Link
Bowser
Mario
Pikachu
Kirby
Ganondorf
Pichu
Mewtwo

The names of these tiers were originally called God Tier, Top Tier, High Tier, Middle Tier, and Low Tier; these names were changed to the ones shown above on July 10th, two days after the tier list was released.

i.e:

God Tier Top Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier
Fox
Sheik
Captain Falcon
Link
Yoshi
Falco
Marth
Ice Climbers
Luigi
Zelda
Peach
Samus
Donkey Kong
Mr. Game & Watch
Dr. Mario
Roy
Ness
Jigglypuff
Young Link
Bowser
Mario
Pikachu
Kirby
Ganondorf
Pichu
Mewtwo


This tier list marks the first time Sheik was not in top tier, and contains the biggest bottom tier of any tier list thus far. The balance of the tier list was a point of contention amongst many Smashers, who felt that it was too bottom-heavy and that the lower tiers should themselves be split, or the high tiers merged (particularly the top two).

Ninth tier list (October 14, 2008)

This is the current and final tier list. For the first time since June 2003, the Smash Back Room published each character's numerical scores.

Top Tier

High Tier

Middle Tier

Low Tier

Bottom Tier

Brawl

First Tier List (September 1, 2008)

Top Tier High Tier Middle Tier Low Tier
Meta Knight
Marth
Toon Link
Lucas
Snake
Wario
Olimar
Ness
King Dedede
Lucario
Fox
Mario
Mr. Game and Watch
Donkey Kong
Zelda
Pokemon Trainer
Falco
Diddy Kong
Zero Suit Samus
Samus
R.O.B.
Pikachu
Bowser
Yoshi
Ice Climbers
Luigi
Sonic
Kirby
Peach
Jigglypuff
Pit
Ike
Ganondorf
Wolf
Sheik
Link
Captain Falcon

Second Tier List (January 5, 2009)

SS Tier S Tier A Tier B Tier C Tier D Tier E Tier F Tier G Tier

1. Meta Knight (15.00)

2. Snake (13.91)

3. Falco (13.03)
4. King Dedede (12.94)
5. Mr. Game & Watch (12.50)
6. Marth (12.09)
7. Diddy Kong (11.94)

8. Wario (11.47)
9. R.O.B. (11.38)
10-11. Lucario (10.94)
10-11. Olimar (10.94)

12. Pikachu (10.34)
13. Kirby (10.16)
14. Donkey Kong (10.06)
15. Ice Climbers (9.59)

16. Zero Suit Samus (8.88)
17. Toon Link (8.47)
18. Pit (8.44)
19. Peach (8.16)
20. Wolf (7.91)

21. Luigi (7.41)
22. Zelda (7.03)
23. Bowser (6.91)
24. Fox (6.66)
25. Sheik (6.44)
26. Ike (5.91)

27. Mario (4.56)
28-29. Lucas (4.50)
28-29. Ness (4.50)
30. Samus (4.41)
31. Sonic (4.16)
32. Pokémon Trainer (3.94)
33. Yoshi (3.66)

34. Link (2.28)
35. Jigglypuff (2.03)
36. Ganondorf (1.88)
37. Captain Falcon (1.63)

External Links