As the game actually gets balance patches, this is subject to change. I will list some character recommendations or views in the context of the main guide.
Diddy Kong
I think Diddy is a very strong pick. He has good mobility, a high reward grab, mixup options, reliable KO moves, good KO setups, decent pokes, a very good set of air normals, good recovery variety, and some unique projectiles.
If you are not familiar with Smash though, he might be a bit too complex to pick up at first.
Sheik
Also a very strong pick. While she has weak air normals, they are incredibly fast. Her ground normals are similarly very fast and good for setting up combos or air traps. Good grab/throws for setups/combos. She also has very fluid movement (good dash speed, good air momentum, good jump height, fast fall speed) to go with her fast moves. Her KO potential is somewhat low, and focused on some rather hard to land moves for pre-140%, but it is possible. Her needle projectile is one of the best in the game.
Recommended for players that prefer speed.
Rosalina & Luma
Luma mechanic has been nerfed, but the character still works well. Basically, Luma is a helper character that mimic's Rosalina's inputs, which makes her reach better than normal. Luma can attack while Rosalina is getting hit or grabbed sometimes, and Luma is also pretty strong.
The uses of Luma are not quite as complex as typical anime "doll" characters though. She is very straight forward outside of a few specific setups. At the same time, Rosalina has very good normals even without Luma, but having Luma is always good. Further Luma mechanics can be looked up on the Rosalina boards on Smashboards.
Rosalina is a floaty character, meaning jumping a lot with her is not recommended. But if you prefer to play a control-pace kind of game, where your opponent can be punished for approaching incorrectly, she is a great pick.
Little Mac
I don't think Little Mac will be a successful tournament character. He lacks Recovery, and his air game in general means he is prone to getting Air Trapped very hard. He DOES have great ground movement and great ground normals. He also has an "Ultra" style mechanic - if he takes a lot of damage, he'll have access to a KO punch that can KO around 30%+, so if you want to get a better grasp of the ground game, he is a simple and effective character to learn.
Greninja
I would describe Greninja as a slower, but stronger Sheik. Some of his tricks were removed in the latest patch, but his base kit is still solid. Good projectile, good normals, especially smashes, and good air traps. Note that he does feel like a frog; his jump is very high, but he also falls quite fast.
Fox
This is another very straightforward character for a player who likes fast characters. Projectile to discourage runaway, good speed, KO moves, and approaches.
Zero Suit Samus
Fast character, but floaty. Good mobility, but a little challenging to put together a ground game because of her slower (longer ranged) grab. This character will really test your usage of Shield Dropping.
Lucario
One of the characters that everyone hates to fight against, he gets obscenely strong when he is at high percent, to the point where he can score KOs with Uair and Bair vs characters at percents low as 50. He has some fast normals, a command grab, and very good recovery. On the flip side, his movement is somewhat slow and floaty.
Robin
While Robin's moves are not super long, they are still sword moves. Robin also has a nice set of projectiles.
I would label Robin as a setup character who can hit hard. Patience is necessary, but good reads and decisions can allow Robin to get big advantages.
Ness
Similar to Robin, there are some cool projectile traps and punishes that Ness can pull off. I think that overall Ness is not that strong of a character, but with good reads he gets very high reward. He also has a KOing throw in Bthrow, which will often KO at around 130%, which is a very useful tool.
Big Bodies: Bowser, King DDD, Donkey Kong, Charizard, Ganondorf
I would avoid trying to learn the game with these characters, but sometimes you gotta play a big body if you're a big body player.
Bowser has a command grab, and a solid ground game. Good dash speed, decent pokes.
King DDD has a flexible air game with multiple jumps, his own slow command grab, and a good grab game. Solid pokes, but not as fast as Bowser's.
Donkey Kong is limited. He has a few good moves, but overall has a lot of slow moves.
Charizard is similar, with even less good moves.
Ganondorf has an interesting move (Side B) but his recovery is quite bad and all of his moves are pretty slow.
Jigglypuff
This character is a good harasser. With good air normals and extremely good air movement control, you can really feel the "air footsies" with Puff. And landing a Rest is super satisfying as a punish. The major downside to playing Puff is that she is so light, she gets KO'd at much lower percents than most characters. She is also slow on the ground, and has no projectile. Overall, Puff is similar to Kirby, though I think Puff is noticeably more mobile.
To Be Updated further
