Samus (SSB4): Difference between revisions

|ranking = 37

Samus is ranked 37th out of 55 on the [[tier list]] (tied with {{SSB4|Robin}}), placing her at the bottom of D tier and middle of mid tier. This is a decent improvement over her bottom-tier placement in ''Brawl'', where she was ranked 32nd out of 38. Samus possesses numerous projectiles in the form of her [[Charge Shot]], [[Missile]] and [[Bomb (Samus)|Bomb]], all of which grant her strong zoning potential alongside her [[Grapple Beam]]. Charge Shot also functions as a fearsome KOing option and a strong [[punish]]ing option in many situations due to its high damage output and excellent knockback, while her Bomb and Grapple Beam can aid her recovery, and she has an above average damage output as well. Samus also possesses a great air game: her neutral aerial and sweetspotted back aerial are among the strongest of their type, while her forward and up aerials deal impressive damage and have good follow-up potential, allowing for powerful and highly damaging combos when she finds or sets up an opening, which is further supplemented by set-ups in the form of her dash attack, up tilt, down aerial, down throw and Grapple Beam.

Samus has received a mix of [[buff]]s and [[nerf]]s in the transition from ''Brawl'' to ''SSB4'', but while she was initially nerfed despite already being a low tier character, she received significant buffs via game [[updates]] resulting in her ultimately being buffed overall due to her buffs fixing one of her main issues in ''Brawl'' combined with the game's mechanics greatly benefiting her overall. Samus has gained several new KOing options, the most notable of which is [[Charge Shot]], which has drastically increased speed and knockback. The other noteworthy options include her forward smash, up smash, neutral aerial, forward aerial and [[Screw Attack]] improving one of her main weaknesses in the previous game. Forward smash now has a powerful sweetspot in the form of a fiery blast at the tip of her Arm Cannon. Neutral aerial, forward aerial, back aerial, up aerial up smash and Screw Attack have each have had their knockback improved, most notably on neutral aerial (and only to the last hit in Screw Attack's case). Additionally, forward aerial, up smash and Screw Attack's multiple hits now connect better due to alterations to those moves along with the weakening of [[SDI]] to further ensure that opponents cannot escape their respective last hits.  

Samus' falling speed and gravity have noticeably increased. This makes it much easier for Samus to land however, it also hinders her aerial output as she can no longer perform two aerials in a short hop, autocancel forward aerial in a short hop and it makes her more susceptible to combos.  

However, Samus also received a few nerfs. The most significant nerf being the fact that she is no longer connected to {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. As such, she can no longer utilize her Zero Suit counterpart's far superior mobility and moveset to alleviate her own. As for Samus' more direct nerfs, some of Samus' moves her nerfed frame data with her landing lag in particular being significantly increased. While this is a common nerf across the cast, it harmed Samus more than most other returning veterans as Samus went from having the lowest average landing lag in the game to having fairly mediocre landing lag on her aerials with down aerial and forward aerial seeing the largest increase to their landing lag. This is especially an issue with forward aerial, as it can no longer [[auto-cancel]] in a short hop due to her previously mentioned higher gravity and faster falling speed. While her KO potential has improved, some of Samus' previous KO moves, such as her down tilt and down smash, have lost their previous KO potential. [[Missile]] is harder to camp with due it no longer auto-canceling on landing and she can only use two Homing Missile and one Super Missile at a time, though her projectiles overall are still powerful and useful in their own right. Additionally, Samus' overall damage output is lower (though it is higher relative to the cast) and despite her improved combo potential, some of her moves have reduced followup potential with two notable examples being her landing forward aerial and down aerial. One move which notably got nerfed however was her [[grab aerial]]. While it has increased tether range and it benefits from the changes to ledges, it has increased landing lag, deals less damage and has altered knockback hindering its spacing and followup potential.  

**{{buff|Missiles have less startup lag (frame 23 (Homing/Super ground)/25 (Super aerial) → 18/21), longer durations (frames 23-121 (Homing)/23-84 (Super) → 18-118/21-84), and decreased ending lag on the ground (FAF 60 (both) → 57 (Homing)/59 (Super)).}}  

**{{nerf|Samus can only have two Homing Missiles and one Super Missile onscreen at the same time. If she attempts to shoot another one while one is already on-screen, she will perform the firing animation, but no Missile will be fired.}}  

|neutralname=Straight and Cannon Hammer

|usmashname=Cover Fire<!--official from all-star trophy-->

|uairdesc=A diagonal corkscrew flying kick. Hits multiple times, though only the last hit deals moderate knockback. Unlike most multi-hitting attacks, the opponent can easily be launched before the move is complete if Samus does not follow the opponent's previous launch direction. Grounded opponents can be hit by the last hitbox if Samus lands while starting the move in the air, although it is difficult to do so. It is her fastest aerial, due to coming out on frame 5. Useful for landing, breaking some certain combos, and countering aerial approaches. Can be used as a follow-up after a dash attack, grounded up tilt, down aerial, or down throw, all of which can be followed up with another up aerial and/or can be finished off with a [[Screw Attack]]. On stages with platforms, it can even [[zero-to-death]] the entire cast when using a platform to extend the combo. If used high enough at high percents, it can be used as a KO option.  

|zairname=[[Grapple Beam]]

|grabname=Grapple Beam

|usc2desc=Deals more damage (albeit less total damage)!and much more knockback, which grants it much better KO potential, to the point that it can KO as low as 50% near the upper blast line and without rage, depending on weight and DI. However, it only hits twice and covers significantly less horizontal distance.  

==In [[Competitive play|competitive play]]==

''See also: [[:Category:Samus professionals (SSB4)]]''

 

Samus was initially considered to have improved from ''Brawl'', due to the improvements to her KO potential, a trait she previously lacked in tournament play. However, it soon became clear the buffs to other bottom-tier characters, such as {{SSB4|Mario}}, {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}} and {{SSB4|Link}}, had made them significantly better than her. When combined with glaring blind spots on her hitboxes, extended hurtboxes, and continued struggle to KO, Samus would later be considered one of the worst characters in the game. Despite the buffs gained in game updates, notably update [[1.1.1]], her poorly regarded status remained intact, with only a handful of dedicated mains, such as {{Sm|IcyMist}}, {{Sm|KayJay}}, {{Sm|Afro Smash}} and {{Sm|Jonny Westside}}, having a notable tournament impact. As such, she was ranked 51st on the first ''4BR'' [[tier list]], becoming a bottom-tier character.

 

It was not until update [[1.1.5]] when Samus gained her most efficient buffs, which allowed her moveset to flow significantly better, improving her offense and eliminating the majority of her blindspots. This resulted in her achieving significantly better placements at tournaments, and benefiting from nerfs given to characters with preferable matchups against her, such as {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}, {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. These traits saw Samus ranked 45th on the second tier list and placed in the low tier, eventually rising to 41st on the third tier list, at the top of the low tier. Samus' somewhat more successful tournament placings have improved competitive perception of her, as she rose to 37th on the fourth and current tier list, now a mid-tier character, sharing the spot with {{SSB4|Robin}}. As such, she is considered a far more viable character after game updates, and significantly better than how she was in ''Brawl'', with some smashers, such as {{Sm|ESAM}} and {{Sm|Dabuz}}, claim that a higher placement in the tier list is needed, despite her relatively below-average representation.

:'''Samus'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Samus Aran has fought her way across a variety of planets in the Metroid series. She wears a Power Suit designed by the Chozo, giving her incredible versatility in a fight. She can wade in, but she favors beams and missiles. A fully charged Charge Shot packs a serious punch!''

::{{flag|pal}} ''The heroine of the Metroid series, Samus Aran. Her missions take her across the reaches of space, and her Power Suit gives her immeasurable fighting prowess. In this game, she uses a variety of ranged attacks based around beams and missiles. When her Charge Shot is fully charged, it can launch foes with devastating force.''

::{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Metroid (08/1987)|console2=SNES|game2=Super Metroid (04/1994)}}

 

:'''Samus (Alt.)'''

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Samus protects herself from overhead enemies with her up smash, Cover Fire, which can land multiple hits on anyone it connects with. Samus also fires a homing missile by holding sideways and pressing the special- attack button or launches a Super Missile by quickly tapping sideways instead.''

 

 

::{{Trophy games|console1=NES|game1=Metroid (08/1987)|console2=SNES|game2=Super Metroid (04/1994)}}

 

::{{flag|ntsc}} ''Samus unleashes a massive, long-range beam from her Arm Cannon as her Final Smash. Fighters on the edges of the beam will be drawn in, taking more and more damage. The sheer power of this weapon makes it tough to aim once it's firing, but it's possible to adjust the beam up and down.''

 

::{{flag|pal}} ''In Samus' Final Smash, she unleashes a huge laser beam from her Arm Cannon that draws opponents to the centre of the beam. Quite handy, since the closer they are to the centre, the more damage they'll take! You can also angle it up and down (albeit slowly), letting you catch more of your enemies and create more havoc.''

 

SamusTrophy3DS.png|Classic (3DS)

ZeroLaserTrophyWiiU.png|{{b|Zero Laser|Samus}}