Zero Suit Samus (SSBU): Difference between revisions

|image = {{tabber|title1=Zero Suit|tab1=[[File:Zero Suit Samus SSBU.png|250px]]|title2=Casual Outfit (Zero Mission)|tab2=[[File:Zero Suit Samus-Alt6 SSBU.png|250px]]|title3=Casual Outfit (Fusion)|tab3=[[File:Zero Suit Samus-Alt7 SSBU.png|250px]]}}

|tier = A+

|ranking = 26

Zero Suit Samus is currently ranked 26th out of 82 characters on the current ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], placing her in A+ tier. This is a significant drop from her top-tier position in ''Smash 4'', where she was ranked 6th out of 54 characters, and is her worst placement in the series to date. Zero Suit Samus possesses fantastic movement that allows her to be fantastic as a hit-and-run character and even a time-out character, while also giving her a strong disadvantage state. Zero Suit Samus also possesses a long and fast recovery thanks to [[Flip Jump]], [[Boost Kick]], and her [[tether]]. She also possesses safe aerials and a projectile that complements her strong neutral game and grants her a strong aerial game.

However, Zero Suit Samus also has some notable weaknesses. Zero Suit Samus has issues closing out stocks consistently and her overall damage output is unimpressive compared to other top-tier characters, making her ability to make comebacks rather poor. She also has weak survivability due to a rather predictable recovery and being a tall yet light character, making her susceptible to early KOs. Finally, she has little out-of-shield options, while the options she does have are either inconsistent or has average startup.

Although being considered a dominating top tier character throughout the lifetime of ''SSB4'' (6th out of 55 characters), Zero Suit Samus has received a mix of buffs and nerfs in the transition to ''Ultimate'', slightly nerfing her directly.

She has received some significant direct and indirect nerfs, especially directly, and the most notable ones were to her outstanding combo and punish game, which while still potent, have been toned down overall. Her down throw has more knockback and more ending lag, and thus can no longer combo as reliably as in the previous game past very low percentages, losing almost all its combo potential, her up aerial has more ending lag and both her down smash and [[Flip Jump]], especially the former, have less hitstun and knockback, worsening several of her setup moves and making it more difficult to capitalize on them and on KO confirms. Furthermore, the changes to the knockback physics make it more difficult for her to string her moves into the other. Zero Suit Samus's recovery, previously one of the best in the game, was also nerfed, as [[Plasma Whip]] takes much longer to grab an edge and has reduced tether range. Lastly, her forward smash's new sourspot and nerfs to forward aerial's power, and back aerials and [[Boost Kick]]'s hitboxes and the latter's reduced knockback (unless started from the ground), make it harder for her to score KOs, reducing her KO ability.

However, Zero Suit Samus does significantly benefit overall from the universal changes to gameplay mechanics. The faster movement speed further enhances her already excellent mobility (now possessing the 2nd fastest initial [[dash]] in the game and a good [[dash-dance]]), improving her approach and as such, her "hit and run" playstyle. The reintroduction of directional [[air dodging]] improves her juggling capabilities, and the universally reduced landing lag and more limited out-of-shield options allow her to retain some of her combo game while improving on her mediocre neutral game - one of her most notable weaknesses in ''Smash 4''.

She has also directly received some useful buffs: her down tilt, arguably her worst move in ''SSB4'', has reduced ending lag that gives it combo potential, and her up smash has reduced base knockback with significantly increased knockback scaling, granting it combo potential and dramatically improving its KO power. Aside from her lost ability to string lengthy and devastating punishes off of a down throw, Zero Suit Samus' grab game has been improved as a whole; her grab, previously one of the laggiest in the game, has been sped up, making it less risky to use, and her up throw has increased knockback, granting her a new KO move, and forward throw sends opponents in a lower angle, granting it the ability to set up [[tech-chasing]]. Finally, her special moveset has seen many improvements, as [[Paralyzer]] charges and fires shots faster, while Plasma Whip can now send opponents towards her for new setups if the button is held, and has restored some of its lost KO power from ''Brawl''. Despite the nerfs to Flip Jump, it has also received some improvements. It executes faster in the air, both the jump and footstool stomp have less ending lag, and the manual kick can be inputted faster which allows her to combo into it from her neutral aerial much more consistently and take stocks at very early percentages. Zero Suit Samus also indirectly benefits from a less threatening competitive environment, with most other top-tiers having been nerfed considerably allowing her to further keep her very high position relative to the cast.

In the end, Zero Suit Samus remains a high-risk, high-reward character whose learning curve is even higher than in ''SSB4'', with a wider and more intricate array of neutral, combo and punish options, as opposed to her more polarized kit in ''SSB4'' that necessitated a more linear gameplan.  

SSBUZeroSuitSamusIdle1.gif|Zero Suit Samus's first idle pose

SSBUZeroSuitSamusIdle2.gif|Zero Suit Samus's second idle pose

|Ze - ro - Suit! Sa - mus! || Saaaa - mus Ze - ro! || Sa - mus! nul-kostyume! || Ze - ro Su - it Sa - mu - s!

*{{Sm|Marss|USA}} - The best Zero Suit Samus player in the world and one of the overall best players in the world prior to the pandemic. Placed 1st at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}, 3rd at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}, {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}}, and {{Trn|Mainstage}}, and 4th at {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}}. Ranked as high as 3rd on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]] and is currently ranked 17th on the [[PGRU v3 NA]].

However, the post-pandemic metagame saw a notable shift in Zero Suit Samus's reception. For one, she received nerfs to some of her best moves, hindering her combo game and KO potential; the nerfs were great enough to cause some players, including Marss and shky, to believe the character was no longer one of the best in the game. In addition, her best players slowly became less active or started to perform worse than before. In particular, Marss began shifting his focus towards content creation while Kuro and Choco began struggling to make it into the top 32 at majors. As a result, Zero Suit Samus's representation declined, from having top 10 representation in 2019 to not even breaking top 30 by 2022. The nerfs to her strongest tools and decline in results and representations mellowed out opinions on the character, with most players no longer considering her as a top tier. This opinion is reflected in her current placement on the tier list, where she is ranked 26th in the high tier, while also marking the first time she was ranked below her suited counterpart.