With that being said, today’s article features an often overlooked character in the roster: Wario. Originally placing 21st in the first iteration of the 4BR Tier List, Wario has suffered a noticeable decline ever since, now coming in at 36th place in the most recent version of the official tier list. Here to discuss Wario with us is TheReflexWonder, a well-known labber and competitor, who has been present in the Georgia scene’s PR in almost all iterations of the ranking.
Wario’s Results
Simply put, “Wario has had a pretty rocky time since launch”. According to Reflex, Wario has never been a popular choice among competitors; this has been true ever since the meta’s beginnings. Still, early on, Wario had several strong high-level players representing him, including the likes of Abadango, Nasubi, and Tweek. However, all of these players eventually moved on to different characters.
Even in lower levels of play, Wario’s results have never been stellar. According to Quappo_’s research on character usage on Anther’s Ladder, Wario’s results have always been below average.
To make matters worse, the introduction of the newer DLC characters further hindered Wario’s viability and results. Cloud and Bayonetta especially, who “are among Wario's worst matchups,” have created more obstacles for Wario mains to overcome.
Still, this does not mean that all hope is lost for the character. In Europe, Glutonny has had numerous exceptional performances. In fact, Gluttony recently defeated Fatality, 3-2, claiming victory in the tournament MARS 2017. And of course, Reflex himself still participates in events, netting respectable results for Wario whenever he competes.
The Future of Wario’s Meta
“I feel Wario's metagame was one of the fastest to develop. This is not because Wario is a shallow character (he is, perhaps surprisingly, pretty nuanced and dynamic), but because we have one of the most dedicated communities.”
Reflex sees some room for improvement in Wario’s meta and, though there might not be that much left to discover, what’s left to improve will likely help a Wario main “get further than a lot of other mediocre characters”. He theorizes that “significant developments will likely revolve around using Wario Bike as an item (as compared to driving it) while on-stage and abusing Powershield option selects with Waft.”
Because Wario Bike can add “hitlag on enemy attacks”, “disable Jab and tilts” within its range, and generate “large hitboxes” with “great damage potential as a projectile”, Wario’s neutral could be considerably improved with better Bike usage.
As for Wario Waft, Smash 4’s Powershield mechanics give “Wario more opportunities to land consistent low-percent KOs, which can be surprisingly reliable due to Waft's rather low startup”. Powershield to an out-of-shield Waft can allow for “a great deal of reward against stuff that most characters can't get more than a Jab against even in a theoretical setting”.
With all of this in mind, it is reasonable to suggest that Wario could possess “a strong camping-centric game plan” in the future, “one that is starting to come into public view with Captain Zack's Bayo planking”.
Perceptions of Wario
Generally speaking, Reflex argues that Wario’s tools are somewhat underrated by the community at large, perhaps stemming from a lack of exposure to the character. For example, many people may not realize this, but, according to Reflex, the “uses and safety” of Wario’s Down Tilt are “reasonably comparable to Diddy Kong’s incredible Down Tilt”. Even further, Wario’s Down Tilt “synergizes very well with Wario’s good run turnaround cancel”.
Diddy Down Tilt | 4-5 | 19 | 5.5 | 50/60 | 15 | 75
Wario Down Tilt | 5 | 18 | 4 | 46/69 | 20 | 50
Along with that, another underrated tool is Wario’s Nair. It is a “surprisingly potent combo tool”; with Wario’s Nair, it is possible to “carry characters across the stage with two or three Nairs into a stronger hit, such as Uair or Waft” (provided the player waits “to land the second hit of each N-Air as late in their knockback as possible”). Landing with Dair before the final hit can give Wario a “significant frame advantage” over the opponent, especially when factoring in Rage. “Each tool mentioned requires a great deal of knowledge of percent ranges and opponent's physics to really make the most of them, but they're significant combo extensions that the average player doesn't really manage on intuition alone, and they are all reliable hit confirms into Waft.”
Wario’s Placement on the Tier List
Overall, Reflex finds Wario’s placement at the top of low tier to be quite fitting. To him, Wario is “a character carried by an explosive game-changer like the Wario Waft” who suffers from “many fundamental problems (hitboxes, movement speed, frame data, damage output) as well as “a relatively steep learning curve without a lot of reward compared to most of the cast”. Still, in his own personal tier list, Wario is a few spots higher, coming in at 32nd. Reflex believes that, considering the improvements to be made as Wario’s meta continues to develop, he will eventually “rise toward that spot, and perhaps beyond”. As the meta continues to advance, even with the limited results Wario has, this should still provide more than enough of a spotlight to improve opinions about the character, especially as his players continue to work hard to optimize their play.
We hope this edition of the Backroom Pass has been informative and insightful for you. If you would like to show your appreciation to TheReflexWonder, you can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
What did you think of the analysis? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments below! And stay tuned for future installments of the Backroom Pass!
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