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BrawlTierList

Tier list.

In gaming, a tier list is a list that ranks all characters in a game based on the strength of their fighting abilities, as well as their potential to win matches under tournament conditions, assuming players are of equal skill. Tier lists are most commonly made for fighting games that are played at a high competitive level, though other video games with large character pools, such as the Pokémon series, can also have their own tier lists.

A large number of different tier lists exist for the Super Smash Bros. series, but the most widely accepted tier lists have generally been produced by the Smash Back Room on Smashboards. Exceptions, however, do exist, with the first widely accepted tier list for Super Smash Bros. being created by users on GameFAQs, and the most recent Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee tier lists being created by input from fan votes.

How tier lists are calculated[]

A character's standing on the tier list is based on a variety of factors:

The current collective metagame[]

The metagame's current state involves what tactics, characters, stages, and other factors make up the most common "decisions" made in tournament play; in other words, how the game is generally being played (fast, slow, powerful, combos, etc). In the tier lists, these decisions help to rank characters, based on how useful they may be in tournament matches shaped around these decisions. Metagames based on either the players' collective actions or a tournament organizer's rulesets can result in characters being ranked higher or lower on the tier list. Powerful but slow characters who are easily KOed are typically lower tiered. Faster characters with quick attacks are normally higher tier.

The character's individual metagame[]

The metagame of individual characters is determined by how the players of a specific character use the character within the tournament setting, often in response to the general metagame. In general, characters with "deeper" metagames, or, more options in the game's overall metagame, rank higher than characters with "shallow" metagames, or, fewer options in the game's overall metagame.

The character's matchup spread[]

A character's matchup spread analyses how well they can perform against other characters in the game. In general, higher-tiered characters have more matchups that are in their favour compared to lower-tiered characters, with matchups against higher-tiered characters having more weight behind them than matchups with lower-tiered characters.

The character's tournament results[]

In general, higher tournament results for characters yield higher tier placings, as winning major tournaments implies that a character has more tools to compete, and thus, a deeper metagame. The top characters in all four tier lists have all maintained large playerbases and excellent results in tournaments, while characters directly below them also generally perform well or have large playerbases.

Existence of tiers[]

It is a common opinion among new or casual players of a fighting game that all the characters in the series are equal and have the same amount of potential. These players believe that the inherent strengths and weaknesses of characters balance them out, thus eliminating the need for tiers. However, the consensus of competitive players and knowledgeable spectators is that tiers do exist. In reality, it would be almost impossible for developers to balance a game of unique characters, because the differing properties of each character produce a large number of variables that cannot be constantly monitored and modified on the spot for the purpose of perfect balance. Thus, developers may not be able to foresee top level strategies before their game's release date, and even deliberate efforts (i.e. updates to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) will not perfectly balance a game at a professional level. Furthermore, series creator Masahiro Sakurai did not solely intend for the Smash games to be played at high competitive levels under tournament rulesets, which are what tiers are based on, and his idea of balancing may have been different from that of other competitive games.

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