Smashboards

Hey, sorry I never got back to you on this! I didn't mean to ignore you, I've just had quite a bit going on and I'm not too active on the boards at the moment. I would be interested in seeing what you have, but I don't have access! I'll let you know what I think when I'm able to get in.

That's alright! Hope you've been OK. Definitely focus on what you have going on, especially these days. Didn't realize that it was restricted at first, but you should be able to view it now. I just removed Rex & Pyra from the first party list considering Pyra & Mythra were just announced. Actually added Rex as a Pyra echo on the list. Also, I was thinking I could use the website BracketFights to make the eventual bracket. Definitely going to wait until all DLC is finished before even posting it (and then posting another one when the next game is announced to see how things change). If you have any good ideas for characters, let me know. It's a popularity contest, so we don't need to prioritize different franchises if their characters don't stand a chance.

Alright, so I’ve had a chance to look at this! A few general thoughts, and then I’ll have some more specific suggestions.

One worry I do have is that the Echo Bracket is going to be interpreted as less desirable than the Unique First-Party Bracket. That’s not a big deal for smaller characters with little hope of getting in otherwise (ex. Hilda, Medusa) but it’s going to be very awkward for someone like Dixie Kong, who was popular enough for a Final Four appearance last time. I don’t know if it might be possible for characters to appear on both? Just something to think about.

I agree that there is no inherent reason why more series must be included, but I would still try add a few more. At least when I did my brackets, the idea of getting more series and worlds introduced into Smash, even if it wasn’t one of their favorite characters, was pretty popular with a lot of people. Looking at my first-party bracket, unrepresented series won over half their matchups against represented series in the first round (7 - 6). Here’s a few series I would consider trying to fit in - Advance Wars (characters from this series won three matchups last time and only lost to very strong opponents), Astral Chain (“relevant” new series, so it might make some surprises), and Chibi-Robo (Won twice last time, albeit against weaker opponents, and has a bit of a soft spot among a lot of Nintendo fans).

As for the specific recommendations:

• I would strongly consider at least moving Slippy and Peppy over to the echo bracket. I don’t see either of them getting too much support over Krystal, who didn’t even really do all that great last time, either.
• I might consider flipping Shadow and Tails between the Unique Third-Party and the Echo Brackets. I feel like Shadow gets talked more as a potential Echo than Tails does. Tails also beat Doomguy last time, while Shadow lost to Black Mage. Shadow would do better now, but I still think the flip makes sense.
• Neku Sakuraba did very well last time. Since then, TWEWY has gotten a Switch rerelease and will soon have a sequel. I would try to fit Neku in.
• I’m not sure how including Alph on the Echo Bracket will be interpreted? It’s not a big deal, I suppose, but he is already sort of in the game, which could cause some confusion. Maybe someone like Louie could be included instead?
• I’m not sure how often Tom Nook or the Squid Sisters are discussed as unique character options vs Echoes? I guess two Animal Crossing Echoes would be a bit much, and the Sisters wouldn’t work if they are intended to be played as a duo instead of alternate customs. This is me just talking, I guess.
• A couple more characters I would consider- Elma (has always had an active support presence, and is going to be the uncontested most popular Xenoblade choice with Pyra/Mythra now in the game) or Ayumi Tachibana (has a somewhat interesting history as a potential retro rep and now has upcoming remakes that have greatly boosted her awareness).

If characters need to be removed to make some of these changes, I would say the following don’t have much chance of advancing very far- Tingle, Kamek, and 9-Volt (in addition to Slippy and Peppy). Not to say that they must be removed, but they would be my first choices.

Overall, great work, and thanks for doing this!