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Official Competitive Character Impressions 2.0

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PK Gaming

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Mythra's mobility seems top class

And I'm shocked we're doing this song and dance again. "Slow but strong, fast but weak"

My money's on Mythra being better at racking up damage and KOing.

Ah well, at least it's accurate to the game
 

duxx

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I feel like they're gonna be top ten for sure. Mythra racks up percent so quickly and has incredible mobility, while Pyra kills ridiculously early. They also both seem to have great OoS options, with pyra having up b/probably neutral b, and mythra having nair
 

DougEfresh

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Pyra doesn't look bad by any means, but unless drastic changes were made between the time the presentation was recorded and now, mythra having practically zero end lag on a lot of her kit makes it seem like she's clearly the better one (why the hell was she able to be 2/3 into her second smash attack just as Pyra's cooldown animation on her first smash attack was ending?!).

Pyra will probably still kill stupidly early, but it at least looked like you have chances to punish her on whiff and slow enough frames on most moves to beat her to the punch. I'm curious what their weight will be. My guess is they'll probably release somewhere in the 8-9pm range like most of the DLC so far, so we'll find out more soon enough.
 

Arthur97

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Forward smash may not be the best example as they seemed to make it pretty clear that Pyra's is (supposedly) incredibly strong and thus exploitable. The rest of her moves may not be quite as laggy. She'll still potentially get plenty of use at lower play.
 
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SKX31

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Mythra seems actually dumb broken. She has ZSS mobility with a Sheik combo game.
I feel like they're gonna be top ten for sure. Mythra racks up percent so quickly and has incredible mobility, while Pyra kills ridiculously early. They also both seem to have great OoS options, with pyra having up b/probably neutral b, and mythra having nair
Neither seem to have super-great recovery options (depending on the air speed, however) and they might be susceptible to gimps. There's also the question of how light / heavy they'll be, Myhtra will likely have the better recovery since she has Photon Edge in conjuction with her Up B, but Photon Edge could be reactable to depending on how much shield damage it deals.

The duo could be top ten material, yes, but I'd advise caution here.
 
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KirbySquad101

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The strategy that Sakurai proposed to use them may end up being how they're played? Who's being used more than the other is definitely going to be MU-dependent, but for as promising as her combo potential-endlag is, Mythra's really looking like she's hitting like a wet noodle save for her FSmash and a fully charged neutral special. Even if Mythra might have a few more hard hitting moves, if that kill power on Pyra's USpecial is anything to by (that thing killed :ultdarkpit: mid screen at 100%, and he isn't even a lightweight), she almost always seems like the preferred choice for those last-hit trade situations.


Definitely getting Min-Min's "arm-switching mechanic" vibes from these two though.

And speaking of Min Min, I was completely off on guessing Min-Min's weight, but Pyra and Mythra don't have giant arms to lug around either, so maybe they're around Bayo-level weight? That'll definitely be awkward with Pyra's damage output/kill power if that's the case lol.
 
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PK Gaming

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I don't think Pyra will be very good

Her mobility is pretty subpar from what we've seen. Poor air mobility, unimpressive run speed, slower attacks and a limited recovery
 

DJ3DS

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I don't think Pyra will be very good

Her mobility is pretty subpar from what we've seen. Poor air mobility, unimpressive run speed, slower attacks and a limited recovery
Pyra obviously doesn't look as fast but have some perspective - this looks like a character with Ganon tier power and hitboxes with all around better normals and an Up B that would make Ike blush.

My expectation is that Mythra will be for escaping disadvantage/winning neutral whereas Pyra will be for the advantage state.
 

meleebrawler

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I feel like people don't quite grasp the benefits of big, powerful and meaty disjoints on a character that is not big-boned. Stubby ranged fighters that lack strong zone-breaking will find this more intimidating at any percent.

All that plus more threatening out-of-shield moves and an area denial projectile make for someone who gets more out of playing defensively than someone like Mythra does.
 

The_Bookworm

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Either way, the beauty of Pyra and Mythra is that they don't have to be necessarily good by themselves.

Even if Pyra is theoretically not very good by herself, she can easily switch to Mythra to cover her weaknesses.
The two's strengths and weaknesses seems to cover eachother quite well.
Mythra is far more nimble, seems to be have more potent combo capabilities, and have better frame data all-around (also having the bonus dodge mechanic of Bayo's).
Pyra possesses more range and power (and the better special moves overall imo), complimenting Mythra's average disjoint range and weak power, while Mythra compliments her lack of mobility and frame data.

Not only they compliment eachother well, transforming into eachother is, for the most part, noncommittal.

In other words their design and movesets pretty much fixes the design issues that the devs were aiming to do with Zelda/Sheik in Melee/Brawl.
And unlike Pokemon Trainer in this game, who gets a lot of the same liberties of being able to transform into eachother without much commitment, the design of the two are identical, and you only need to worry about the two instead of cycling between three very different characters.

I do believe that Mythra is probably the better of the two by themselves. But that is irrelevant since you can use their noncommittal transform move to utilize the advantages of the other fighter, which is probably what Pyra/Mythra players are going to do most of the time.
 
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NotLiquid

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I hesitate to say in an authoritative capacity that a character can ever embody this kind of a concept given the many permutations and power dynamics in a roster nearing the 90 character barrier.

On the other hand; at a cursory glance, Mythra is probably the closest I'd ever describe a Smash character as "great by default".
 
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Frihetsanka

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My one prediction is a new personal pet peeve of people who tier the two seperately, despite no one doing that for PT.
Oh, how I wish this were true... Lots of people tier them separately. Also in MU charts. It's going to happen. :urg:

Pyra/Mythra really soon. I wonder if people will use Pyra much, or if Mythra will be almost exclusively used? I also wonder if their neutral specials will be good? They look rather slow, so chances are they won't have much use, but I suppose people will lab it out soon, perhaps they have some hidden properties that make them surprisingly viable moves?
 

Thinkaman

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At one hand, they far more similar genes transformation-wise to Zelda and Sheik in Melee/Brawl, and they were ranked separately in those two games (although there is a tier spot for Sheilda in Brawl's tier list).

Shiek/Zelda in Melee/Brawl is proof-by-exception:
  • They were both extreme characters, and diametrically opposed; the type of person who intuitively excelled with one was extremely unlikely to thrive with the other, so extremely few people actually played both.
    • Some did in Brawl entirely for the novelty (especailly weaker players), but were typically so blatantly superior with one that it will ill-advised. I could probably count on two fingers the players who actually played both justifiably.
  • The transform time was both long and random (system-loadtime dependent in Brawl); actually changing mid-battle was just a terrible idea.
  • Zelda sucked, plain and simple. Really shoots any theoretical advantage in the foot.
Brawl PT had slightly fewer of these issues (+had stamina as artificial glue), and Ultimate PT exhibits basically none.

Pyra/Mythra have even fewer barriers than Ultimate PT. They are extremely similar archetypes--if Mythra is your #1 character, there's no way Pyra isn't in your top 10 by default. The transform seems very safe/generous. With Ultimate's track record, we can confidently predict that neither of them will be as bad as Melee/Brawl Zelda (or Brawl Ivy).

What I'm most interested in is OoS and kill throws, particularly looking at Pyra. This is part of what makes Ultimate Charizard such a strong team player, often carrying his full third of the team despite the least amount of screen time.


A thought experiment: If Marth/Lucina could down-b into Ike, would you? When?
 
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ParanoidDrone

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Because speed > power as a rule in Smash, I fully expect Mythra to be the competitive darling/favorite and for the pair to embody a low-key version of the old Zelda/Sheik dynamic. That said, because their core movesets are so similar, actively swapping between the two mid-match might actually be a viable playstyle. Pyra's absurd power in terms of both damage and KO ability and her lack of sweetspots help, as does the general fact that she doesn't seem to be a defensive lightweight like Zelda is. (Seriously, bad combo there.)
 

duxx

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I'm curious to see if Pyra's neutral b breaks shields. Right here it does quite a bit of shield damage without all hits connecting or being fully charged
 

The_Bookworm

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Shiek/Zelda in Melee/Brawl is proof-by-exception:
  • They were both extreme characters, and diametrically opposed; the type of person who intuitively excelled with one was extremely unlikely to thrive with the other, so extremelyfew people actually played both.
    • Some did in Brawl entirely for the novelty (especailly weaker players), but were typically so blatantly superior with one that it will ill-advised. I could probably count on two fingers the players who actually played both justifiably.
  • The transform time was both long and random (system-loadtime dependent in Brawl); actually changing mid-battle was just a terrible idea.
  • Zelda sucked, plain and simple. Really shoots any theoretical advantage in the foot.
Brawl PT had slightly fewer of these issues (+had stamina as artificial glue), and Ultimate PT exhibits basically none.

Pyra/Mythra have even fewer barriers than Ultimate PT. They are extremely similar archetypes--if Mythra is your #1 character, there's no way Pyra isn't in your top 10 by default. The transform seems very safe/generous. With Ultimate's track record, we can confidently predict that neither of them will be as bad as Melee/Brawl Zelda (or Brawl Ivy).

What I'm most interested in is OoS and kill throws, particularly looking at Pyra. This is part of what makes Ultimate Charizard such a strong team player, often carrying his full third of the team despite the least amount of screen time.


A thought experiment: If Marth/Lucina could down-b into Ike, would you? When?
I did mention in a post later on with similar observations: Pyra/Mythra does indeed solve a lot of the issues that plague the transformation characters prior to Ultimate.

Pyra does seem like she has the stronger OoS, especially in later percents. We obviously can wait until later today to test this, but I think Mythra up B's might deal more damage if the final smash tells me anything. This might makes Mythra's up B more suitable as an OoS in earlier percents.
Similar to Roy's vs Chrom's up B, Pyra's might be more safe due to having a descending landing hitbox while Mythra's leaves her vulnerable.

We unfortunately have very little data in terms of throws, but Pyra's does seem stronger. However, will it KO in realistic percents is left to be desired.


As for your thought experiment: I do think Marthcina would benefit from having the ability to switch to Ike, especially if the Counter is the sacrifice to do so. Marth would love this in particular, especially since Marth's non-tippered attacks hits like a wet noodle in this game.
 

Rizen

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The switch between Py and Mythra seems like the same application as Minmin's megawat arm; Myth is like ramram for most of the game, easier to hit with and more versatile, than switch to Pyra who's like megawat for KOing. Pyra is probably better for intercepting due to her stronger power. Pyra doesn't need to be as good; she has her purpose. Also I can see using Pyra's neutral special used for ledge trapping.
The fast swordfighter archetype is a successful design. I would be very surprised if they are below high tier. I can't help but wonder what weight they'll be though. It's possible they'll be lighter than Lucina to make up for the versatility of swapping.
 

blackghost

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it really doesnt matter if pyra herself isnt nearly as strong the mere option to go from a shiek-like sword character to essentially a better ike (on first impression) is invaluable.

its the same reasoning people go charizard just to get the kill.
mythra alone would prob be an increible chaarcter pyra is gonna tag along and just boost her up.

some people have often wondered why sword character frame data is the way it is I think mythra is gonna be a living example as to why.

on a side note they really gave another character batwithin. what a time to be alive.
 

Emblem Lord

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it really doesnt matter if pyra herself isnt nearly as strong the mere option to go from a shiek-like sword character to essentially a better ike (on first impression) is invaluable.

its the same reasoning people go charizard just to get the kill.
mythra alone would prob be an increible chaarcter pyra is gonna tag along and just boost her up.

some people have often wondered why sword character frame data is the way it is I think mythra is gonna be a living example as to why.

on a side note they really gave another character batwithin. what a time to be alive.
You just keep spittin facts and I am here for it.
 

DJ3DS

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Flame Nova, if it stalls or slows Pyra's fall, could do a lot more than just ledge trap. It could be a good landing mix-up, or eat some linear recoveries or 2-frame with the long-lasting hitbox.
It's going to depend on whether she can recover after or not, but if she can just walk off the ledge and use this (similarly to how ROB can, though often doesn't because of his onstage options) that's something to be scared of.
 
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Frihetsanka

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it really doesnt matter if pyra herself isnt nearly as strong the mere option to go from a shiek-like sword character to essentially a better ike (on first impression) is invaluable.
Mythra's startup on moves seems somewhat comparable to Lucina/Corrin/Roy/Chrom, Pyra's somewhat comparable to Ike's. Given that Mythra has great speed and Pyra probably kills well that sounds somewhat promising. Probably better than Lucina, probably one of the best sword characters overall would be my guess. She'll drop soon so we'll see more then. Looks like a potential top 10 character to me, although it's of course possible that she got nerfed since the Sakurai reveal build.
 

NairWizard

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Can you name something comparable to Flip Jump in Mythra's tools? NairWizard NairWizard
The most distinctive thing about ZSS compared to the rest of the cast isn't Flip Jump.

Flip Jump exists in ZSS' kit because ZSS doesn't have other good landing tools in disadvantage. Stall and fall d-air? N-air that doesn't cover below you? I mean, what else are you going to do when you're getting juggled other than drift?

Flip Jump does have several offensive applications too, though. It's a great move because it covers a lot of holes in ZSS' gameplay with a single move. Mythra doesn't need an equivalent because Mythra doesn't have some of these holes to begin with, but her toolkit has several promising options that compare to some of Flip Jump's applications (covering disadvantage options with side-b, for example, and reversals in near-neutral situations with swap or Foresight).

The spirit of ZSS is general mobility with decently sized hitboxes. ZSS can be wherever she wants, attacking you from whatever angle and position she wants, and applies being wherever she wants to neutral, advantage, and disadvantage. Mythra seems really fast in the same way (though maybe not as fast aerially from what I can gather), and also has a sword on top of that.

I think they're going to have different matchup spreads and that Mythra is going to be worse in disadvantage overall, especially offstage, but mobility is king in smash, and range and disjoint never go out of style, so I think this character is about to be really good.
 

Guynamednelson

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I just noticed...
Pyra does double damage compared to Mythra...

Yet Doc doesn't...
Doc buffs!?

(I can dream)
Not every stronger-but-slower semiclone needs to do twice as much damage as the weaker-but-faster character. Different fighters get balanced in different ways.
 

Firox

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I'm not gonna lie, Mythra looks busted to me. That Nair alone is pretty sick. It's like Byleth and Cloud's Sm4sh Nair had a super saiyan baby. Couple that with Pyra's INSANE kill power. I'm telling you right now, if Pyra's Up B is 9 frames or faster, we're going to be looking at potentially the deadliest out of shield option in the game.
 

TCT~Phantom

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I'm not gonna lie, Mythra looks busted to me. That Nair alone is pretty sick. It's like Byleth and Cloud's Sm4sh Nair had a super saiyan baby. Couple that with Pyra's INSANE kill power. I'm telling you right now, if Pyra's Up B is 9 frames or faster, we're going to be looking at potentially the deadliest out of shield option in the game.
The duo looks busted. Mythra's supposed issue is that she can't kill. But she can just go Pyra and get a kill. So long as Pyra is not unusable garbage and you are stuck using Mythra (which with those moves I doubt), the two of them are High Tier for free. Maybe top tier.
 
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Pillow

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The duo looks busted. Mythra's supposed issue is that she can't kill. But she can just go Pyra and get a kill. So long as Pyra is not unusable garbage and you are stuck using Mythra (which with those moves I doubt), the two of them are High Tier for free. Maybe top tier.
I agree they look strong but this logic is simplifying it a bit too much. Pokemon Trainer has the same logic "rack up damage as squirtle/ivy then kill as ivy/zard" which is strong in theory but more difficult in practice. Pyra standalone does look better than Zard, but she looks like she has pretty exploitable defenses. Mythra looks solid all around except for lacking kill options, and probably has similar defensive issues as Pyra with a better disadvantage from being faster. As we've seen with other characters like Pichu and Sheik, good frame data is nice but does not automatically propel a character into top tier.
 

meleebrawler

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The duo looks busted. Mythra's supposed issue is that she can't kill. But she can just go Pyra and get a kill. So long as Pyra is not unusable garbage and you are stuck using Mythra (which with those moves I doubt), the two of them are High Tier for free. Maybe top tier.
Besides low killpower, low damage per hit is an issue if you wind up trading or facing characters your combos are not as consistent on. She is also a faster faller which means, unless Mythra's weight is significantly lower to offset it (which would open another issue of frailty), she may actually be more susceptible to getting comboed than Pyra is. Finally, while her mobility is an asset in this department, Mythra doesn't seem to have any particularly good answers to camping; we've seen how easily a projectile can stuff Photon Edge, Lightning Buster takes a full charge to get good range, and both her up specials could be blocked by platforms used as shelter. Pyra, at least, can use Blazing End to keep zoners honest at a reasonable distance, while her greater range and power help with projectile clashing.

I agree they look strong but this logic is simplifying it a bit too much. Pokemon Trainer has the same logic "rack up damage as squirtle/ivy then kill as ivy/zard" which is strong in theory but more difficult in practice. Pyra standalone does look better than Zard, but she looks like she has pretty exploitable defenses. Mythra looks solid all around except for lacking kill options, and probably has similar defensive issues as Pyra with a better disadvantage from being faster. As we've seen with other characters like Pichu and Sheik, good frame data is nice but does not automatically propel a character into top tier.
Comparing Charizard to Pyra is weird, I don't see their playstyles being similar most of the time. Sure, they both have not so good frame data that limits how much pressure they can exert in neutral, but Charizard actually moves very fast and has very good recovery on his own, the former encouraging him to make the most of any openings he manages to get and the latter enhancing survivability even more, making him a character prone to snowballing with the right reads, especially at high rage percents. Pyra does not really do anything like that; she seems more designed to work in tandem with Mythra, patiently conditioning and defending against opponents to wait for openings for Mythra to exploit, and vice-versa providing strong finishers to combos Mythra starts.
 

Pillow

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Comparing Charizard to Pyra is weird, I don't see their playstyles being similar most of the time. Sure, they both have not so good frame data that limits how much pressure they can exert in neutral, but Charizard actually moves very fast and has very good recovery on his own, the former encouraging him to make the most of any openings he manages to get and the latter enhancing survivability even more, making him a character prone to snowballing with the right reads, especially at high rage percents. Pyra does not really do anything like that; she seems more designed to work in tandem with Mythra, patiently conditioning and defending against opponents to wait for openings for Mythra to exploit, and vice-versa providing strong finishers to combos Mythra starts.
I wasn't trying to directly compare Pyra to Charizard. I was just trying to argue that Pyra/Mythra isn't necessarily broken just because she can rack up damage as Mythra then close ko's with Pyra, because Pkmn trainer functions on a similar premise and isn't broken.
 

ZephyrZ

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I'm not gonna lie, Mythra looks busted to me. That Nair alone is pretty sick. It's like Byleth and Cloud's Sm4sh Nair had a super saiyan baby. Couple that with Pyra's INSANE kill power. I'm telling you right now, if Pyra's Up B is 9 frames or faster, we're going to be looking at potentially the deadliest out of shield option in the game.
I mean, the Nair might have a weakness we just haven't see yet. It could be like Pit/Ivy's Nairs and be laggy and unsafe if you don't do it rising, in which case it'll still be really good but still uncomparable to Smash 4 Cloud's.
 

Firox

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I mean, the Nair might have a weakness we just haven't see yet. It could be like Pit/Ivy's Nairs and be laggy and unsafe if you don't do it rising, in which case it'll still be really good but still uncomparable to Smash 4 Cloud's.
That's definitely true. Guess I'll have to start labbing once Pythra comes out.
 

meleebrawler

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I mean, the Nair might have a weakness we just haven't see yet. It could be like Pit/Ivy's Nairs and be laggy and unsafe if you don't do it rising, in which case it'll still be really good but still uncomparable to Smash 4 Cloud's.
That would kind of run counter to the notion of Mythra having better frame data on everything, wouldn't it? I think it's more likely that the move has a worse hitbox than it appears, or at least has trouble connecting properly if not close enough. Meanwhile Pyra can just barely graze someone at the tip of her nair and they still take a full hit; remember, the other thing Pyra has over Mythra is range.
 
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