Who do you feel is objectively the best character in the game?

[Stom]

I'm willing to bet you'd probably say the character that you main, but what character do you feel is just generally the best character in the game, and why? It could be damage output, speed, level of technical mastery required, etc.

 

[L__]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej6oRsKv6cY#t=104

 

[itsbme]

I honestly think Falco is all around the best.
-Fast aerials with low lag.
-Projectile that is fast and dependable to lock someone down.
-Variety of kill moves.
-Great shield pressure.
-Recovery options are decent.
-Again, great moves that chain well together into combos that deal big damage. Any decent Falco can do like 4-5 hit combos on someone.
-He's not that hard to control imo, other than multishine. But honestly his waveshining is so easy I can do it and I don't even practice it.
Then again, I don't have tournie experience, but just from what i've seen over the years plus me playing the characters.

 

[Krynxe]

Fox has nothing really wrong with him. Yes, there are things that Falco have over him, and there are some matchups that do favor Falco over Fox, however Falco has weaknesses which more exploitable despite his strengths being more pronounced. - such as his recovery, forward out of shield options, and difficulty creating pressure in the space between his short and full hop. (Which floaties take advantage of) That's why it's difficult to say which of the two are better, because a player that can make the flaws of the character seem non-existent really make Falco look the best. That being said, I personally believe Fox has more versatility, given his more reliable kill options especially his gimp potential on fast fallers and vertical kill power for floaties, increased mobility, and superior recovery making him a less frequent victim to gimps.

At the end of the day, we can all agree that the best character is obviously one of those stupid space animals.

 

[Elyssa Xey Hexen]

If you want to say objectively which is the best character than it just depends on what you want to consider. From what I have seen, I think Falco is the best character in the current metagame because I have not seen anyone who can routinely get past the laser dilemma at either at the top players or even lower. Lasers are not completely safe unless you happen to hit point blank and you are on top of the character already to take advantage. Falco controls and wins the neutral and if played right means he can could potentially never lose unless he makes a mistake.

Should people ever get better at getting around lasers and it becomes like a mild nuisance, then I could see Fox/Marth/Sheik being the absolute best. Marth should be best on paper since he has a sword to deny anything you do, but in practicality it will just be Fox at that point. I am not sure where Sheik stands at all.

 

[JediLink]

 

[Thor]

I'm willing to bet you'd probably say the character that you main, but what character do you feel is just generally the best character in the game, and why? It could be damage output, speed, level of technical mastery required, etc.

People don't necessarily main the character they think is best in the game - they main someone they like to play and/or they think gives them the best chance to win - M2K has said he thinks Falco is #1, but he doesn't play Falco, either because he can't (highly doubtful, given the amount of time and energy he puts into the game) or because he feels he's more able to win with Marth, Sheik, and some Fox.

It's probably Falco or Fox - they're the only characters that have arguably no disadvantageous matchups.

 

[Anone]

This has been asked time and time again, and the answer is : spacies.

If I had to pick between the two, in a match Fox is the best, in a tournament, Falco is the best. In other words, Falco.

 

[tan(90]

There is like a certain point in which the skill cap of falco's exceeds fox. So, yeah, I'll say falco too.

 

[Drodeka]

As pretty much everybody has said, I think Falco is the best.
However, if we're talking "played to theoretical perfection", I think Marth is the best.
As this game develops, and we approach 20XX, I think it's likely more Marths will surface. Especially if people are able to consistently excel at Spacey matchups with him, because not everybody that plays Marth does.

 

[Landry]

I really really think that Fox is objectively the best.

 

[Drodeka]

I really really think that Fox is objectively the best.

Maybe. But I think this opinion is formed by viewing the current metagame, which is not from an objective standpoint.
Since you specifically said "objectively", I'll assume you meant objectively, and I respect your opinion.

 

[Landry]

Maybe. But I think this opinion is formed by viewing the current metagame, which is not from an objective standpoint.
Since you specifically said "objectively", I'll assume you meant objectively, and I respect your opinion.

To be clear, I don't think that Fox is the best in the current metagame. Theoretically, however, I think that he is the best.

I understand what objective means :/

 

[Mint Alicarth]

Fox is undisputedly the best character in Melee due to his movement speed, amount of options, and attack priority.
Fox has some of the most powerful moves in Melee and the best combo game/metagame.

 

[Bones0]

This thread is the definition of subjective.

 

[Red Rice]

This thread is the definition of subjective.

lol QFT

 

[LotoSage]

In my limited knowledge of Melee, I'd have to say Fox. He seems to have more options than the rest of the bunch, combo-wise. It's just a matter of having more moves, I guess.

 

[Massive]

How could it not be Fox?

In a game where approaching is effectively worse than countering an approach, Fox is one of the few characters that can force others to approach. On top of that he has the most viable options of any character in the game (numerous aerial gimps, two mid % vertical KOs, and a very good dsmash) and one of the best recoveries.

Fox can do everything Falco can (except laser stun), but is substantially harder to gimp and faster/more maneuverable overall.

 

[Superspright]

Subjective? The game is a big math formula. There has to be some objective measure of what character is best.

 

[Bones0]

Subjective? The game is a big math formula. There has to be some objective measure of what character is best.

There are plenty of ways to objectively determine which character is the best, but "best" is subjective in and of itself. If people were posting tournament statistics showing character performance over the years, at least that would actually be objective data.

I'm not sure you grasp the concept of what a formula is if you there is some sort of all-encompassing math formula that explains the entirety of Melee. Even if such a "formula" existed, no one could possibly claim to know or comprehend what that formula would entail due to the ridiculous number of factors and variables. There's also no real way of accounting for the human element because unlike lengths of hitboxes or frame data, the lines of human limitations are blurred, not definite. What was possible for players a couple years ago pales in comparison to what is possible now, so to claim that you know how the endgame will be when you don't know how good players will get at any specific thing is naive.

Even assuming there is some peak metagame at all is misleading. There's no reason the game couldn't theoretically peak with a sort of RPS among a handful of strong characters.

 

[Superspright]

There is a peak metagame in many fighters. This one hasn't peaked yet. The game is calculus. There isn't a good reason why you can't objectively determine the best character. It's not like there are things in this game that are outside of human potential anyway. Everything we once thought hard became easy, and gets easier still. I don't know how the endgame will be, but it's almost certain to be what it is now with Fox or Falco at the top. Also, best is not subjective always. The best option when crossing the street is to not get hit by a car. Is that subjective? I guess we could argue if you want to commit suicide, but I don't have time for philosophical musings. The goal is to get across the street; so you try to do it safely. The goal in melee is to win; so you try to pick the best character and exploit their options.

 

[Ace55]

Fox, hands down.

 

[-Dubs]

"Who do you feel is objectively the best character in the game?"

Obviously, the character with the best matchup spread and most actions per minute able to be inputted.

 

[FlamingForce]

I'm willing to bet you'd probably say the character that you main.

I assure you that anyone who doesn't main a spacie or maybe sheik/marth won't even consider saying that.

 

[Tails_Glados_Puff]

Falco may be the best in terms of what we have seen recently in the metagame, but Fox is definitely the best in a theoretical standpoint. When asking who the best character is, you don't look at the results and current metagame, you look at the character at their absolute best, assuming the players are perfect. Humans will never be able to reach that perfect aspect, so Falco may(and this is a very loose may) be better at our level of competitive play, but Fox is objectively the better character. My opinion is that he is just too hard to use at an extremely perfect or near perfect level that it's pretty much impossible.

 

[VoiD-]

Falco is the best and most stable tournament pick with the current tournament structure.

Fox would be the best pick in a longer form tournament with a more forgiving, spread-out schedule (see:GSL etc).

This is my subjective opinion.