Welcome back! It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, but starting today, we’ll be sure to update you all whenever our amiibo tier list is changed. And, by sheer coincidence, it has! There’s been a lot going on in our metagame over the past few months, so check out some of the rises and drops that have occurred!
First up, here’s an image of the newly-revised tier list. You might notice one small change: Bowser and Incineroar have been moved from SS to S, and they’ve been rearranged such that Bowser is placed before Incineroar. To nobody’s surprise, they’re as strong as they’ve ever been, although Bowser is considered just a bit more powerful than the Heel Pokémon. We still recommend that tournament hosts ban these fighters from their competitions, though this is entirely optional. For more information on why these fighters were banned, see here and here.
I’d also like to note that – although his tiering didn’t change – Ness has been moved to the best character in the game. I may or may not have been in denial of this fact, given that he does have counters, but it’s become rather clear now. That being said, Ness is in a strange position. He’s slightly stronger than his fellow A+ tiered characters, but noticeably weaker than Bowser and Incineroar (he loses to both, especially Bowser). If you’d like to read some pro-Ness propaganda and why he can’t be banned just yet, check out my long-form essay on it here. Now then, let’s get into the individual changes.
Rises
- Zero Suit Samus raised from D to D+. Zero Suit Samus has among the least representation of any amiibo fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so she’s had some rough tournament results. It’s clear she didn’t belong down here, though: she’s just unexplored, and will likely continue to improve given time.
- Pokémon Trainer raised from C to C+. Trainers are finding more ways to utilize all of Pokémon Trainer’s Pokémon. Squirtle was once rather useless – and honestly, still is – but advancements in the character’s metagame have been helping to alleviate this.
- Diddy Kong raised from D to D+. Big move here, right? Diddy Kong still struggles with a bland moveset and low representation, but he’s at least a cut above Bayonetta. That’s saying absolutely nothing, though.
Drops
- Sheik dropped from D+ to D. She’s light, can’t kill, and deals no damage. Her AI can’t take advantage of combos, either. So, then, what are you supposed to do with this character? Apparently, the answer is simpler than we thought: lose.
- Little Mac dropped from A to B+. This isn’t Smash 4 anymore. Little Mac suffers from poor representation and an exploitable recovery. And no aerial game to speak of. He’s still relatively strong, but he’s been falling off for a while now.
- Piranha Plant dropped from A to B+. Piranha Plant is finding it difficult to keep up with the top-tiers. It loses to Ness and struggles against Ridley and King K. Rool. These three are everywhere, so these poor matchups don’t work in Piranha Plant’s favor.
- Olimar dropped from A to B. Olimar’s taken a massive hit here. It’s becoming clear that he, once again, has Smash 4 syndrome. In other words, nobody cares to represent him. Leaf once did, but that was a long time ago, and Olimar is still waiting patiently for more representation.
That’s about it for today’s tier list update! There’s still a bunch of characters that don’t have dedicated trainers, and – as you might expect – most of these lurk in the depths of bottom-tier. There are still a lot of fighters yet to figure out, so if your favorite is low on the list, don’t be discouraged! You could even be the one to raise their position via a strong tournament showing! If you’d like to participate in one, check out our Discord server. Thanks so much for reading, and happy training!
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