Do tiers really matter?

[Click Klack]

Say that you love Charizard, he's your favorite pokemon, he's cool, you liked him as a kid, you've liked him for all your life.
But yet you don't use him in smash. You love him but instead your pressured into maining Sheik for the soul reason for Sheik being in a higher tier than Charizard. If you want to use Sheik that's fine but if you want to main Charizard, go for it. Same for any other character, even if it is high tier. You shouldn't have to use a character just for being higher or lower tier use who ever the hell you want. Seriously you can make any fighter viable with enough practice.

 

[Ikenna Ezechukwu]

I just use it as a reference really. The tier lists will never be taken seriously with Olimar being down there, heh.

 

[Khao]

I personally ignore both the character itself and their tier placement and go for the ones I enjoy to play as the most.

For one, Marth is way low in the tier list, and as a character, I really don't care about him at all (The only game with him I've ever played is the DS Fire Emblem, and I barely finished three-ish chapters of that one).

But he's simply a lot of fun to play! He's incredibly mobile, has a lot of range, and with the tipper mechanic you're basically playing another game on top of what everyone else is doing. I mean, sure, spacing is always important, but you have to be permanently conscious of it with Marth, and be super precise with it. Not to mention, he has what is by far the best side-B in the game in my opinion. Like, not because it's the most useful, but it's just a great idea, it's basically ten moves in one, and it's very satisfying to use and simply flows perfectly.

 

[FP-Takyon]

Tier lists are not purely objective "this is who is better and who is trash." Tier lists are based solely on what the competitive community collectively knows at the time. Plus it doesn't really account for different matchups. Diddy gets pooped on by Olimar last I checked, who's low tier I believe.

Of course you can get good with a character who's considered to have more weaknesses overall. Just because your character is low doesn't mean YOU ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO LOSE, it just means that, as we know the meta now, your character has a lot less good things going on for him/her.

Tiers are important in the competitive community but people need to stop taking them as personal offenses when their character is placed low

 

[Deleted member]

They're important from a competitive standpoint as although you can win with any character, other characters can "win" easier and may just be better from a competitive standpoint.

That being said, I feel people (at least in my case), should play what they like the most as they most likely will end up playing better as that role than using a top tier purely to win. Playing better as in, more skillfully as they will be playing the style they prefer.

 

[kinbobbobkin]

Competitively,yes. Casually, no.

Even though I play somewhat competitively, I don't use the list. I choose whoever fits my choice of who I'm comfortable with.

 

[Chaozrush21]

Even though I play Smash 4 and Project M competitively, I don't even bother with the tier list. They almost never influence my choice of characters, so I don't really think they matter. It just a scale of characters you can win easiest with, nothing more.

 

[Castle Maker]

I think the only tier list that makes sense is melee's in all honesty
Smash 4 Is having a suprisingly large sompetitive scene...maby in a few years the List will matter

 

[Zylach]

Tier lists in Sm4sh only apply to the very top players right now. We're seeing a lot of people placing high at tournaments that aren't using Sheik, Rosie, Diddy, etc. but the top players are the ones that are very concerned about using those "best" characters. You'll see low tier characters taking local tourneys and placing well at EVO, I'm sure, just like they did at Apex but top 5-8 will probably be using the top tiers because the top tiers are relevant in the group of top players who constantly face each other at big tourneys. Using Sheik isn't gonna make anyone good at smash. Using Sheik will make top players better at smash unless they honestly can't use her over one of the other top tiers in which case they'll still hold their own but will probably be at a very slight disadvantage versing a Sheik. Emphasis on "very slight."

 

[Kwinston]

I usually look at tier lists just to see who is doing the best in tournaments so I know who to practice against. They don't really affect who I choose to play as.

 

[Dapplegonger]

I think the only tier list that makes sense is melee's in all honesty
Smash 4 Is having a suprisingly large sompetitive scene...maby in a few years the List will matter

I don't know if "sompetitive" is a typo or not, but that seems like a very good way of describing For Glory newbs and people who think they are playing competitively but really aren't.

 

[jdubYOU]

It really does feel like to win with a low tier character it just means you have to work a lot harder because their tools are more limited. ZeRo even admitted in a video that Toon Link (my main) is "hard to use" because his projectiles are his main strategy but if your projectile game sucks against a good player (which it very well could), then you're doomed.

 

[Click Klack]

I don't know if "sompetitive" is a typo or not, but that seems like a very good way of describing For Glory newbs and people who think they are playing competitively but really aren't.

thats what I call shots fired

 

[Dapplegonger]

thats what I call shots fired

Well it would be correct. There is a large competitive scene, but I think with this game more than any other there is a huge "sompetitive" scene because of For Glory.

Seriously, this needs to become a thing. i.e. Little Mac and Samus are at the top of the sompetitive tier list.

 

[Stealthfox2]

Tier lists are important because they show the shape of the CURRENT meta-game. Dont pick a character just because of his/her placement, use it to understand what your characters weaknesses are, and then try to figure out how to counteract them.

 

[Click Klack]

Well it would be correct. There is a large competitive scene, but I think with this game more than any other there is a huge "sompetitive" scene because of For Glory.

Seriously, this needs to become a thing. i.e. Little Mac and Samus are at the top of the sompetitive tier list.

Yeah that makes sense but I don't really see the difference between For Glory and Live matches it gives people who live in more "rural" areas a chance to get into the competitive scene.

 

[FP-Takyon]

Yeah that makes sense but I don't really see the difference between For Glory and Live matches it gives people who live in more "rural" areas a chance to get into the competitive scene.

FG isn't the best option, but it's not the worst. You're limited to flat stages and there's really no reliable way to get people who are at your skill level or above to practice and get better. There's also the lag issue, which comes up far more often than it really ought to.

That being said, For Glory can make or break you. You can either fall into the awful habits that seem to work well (but are actually garbage tactics once you learn how to get around them), or you can learn what people are doing wrong and how to exploit that. Really, the best options are to try and enter tournaments, or at the very least become part of an online community like smash ladder or this forum and find people to train with. The more variety, the better.

 

[Castle Maker]

I don't know if "sompetitive" is a typo or not, but that seems like a very good way of describing For Glory newbs and people who think they are playing competitively but really aren't.

I'M a Genius!! rofl

 

[Godzillionaire]

Tier lists to me don't matter but they help me visualize what characters I need to learn how to work around since I'll be seeing them the most

 

[PokemonyeWest]

For nearly every fighting game I've picked up in the last five years, I never picked a character only because they were top tier. Like with Marvel 3, I was playing as Wesker and Wolverine long before everyone figured out they're among the best characters. But then for games like 3rd Strike, I picked Alex because I like grapplers and he's pretty low placed in that game.

Tiers don't really matter, it's always up to the player.

 

[Reila]

It only matter if you play in big local tournaments. Online? Not so much.

I don't know if "sompetitive" is a typo or not, but that seems like a very good way of describing For Glory newbs and people who think they are playing competitively but really aren't.

This is a really ridiculous and toxic post.

Why do you feel the need to offend people who play on For Glory? You don't get to decide if For Glory is competitive or not (it clearly is)

 

[Dark Phazon]

Say that you love Charizard, he's your favorite pokemon, he's cool, you liked him as a kid, you've liked him for all your life.
But yet you don't use him in smash. You love him but instead your pressured into maining Sheik for the soul reason for Sheik being in a higher tier than Charizard. If you want to use Sheik that's fine but if you want to main Charizard, go for it. Same for any other character, even if it is high tier. You shouldn't have to use a character just for being higher or lower tier use who ever the hell you want. Seriously you can make any fighter viable with enough practice.

Charizard is very very good he is for sure being slept on.

Not high tier but but alot better than people think he may seem meh at first glance which is what i thought...hes not a pick up and play character imo (Flare Blitz Spaamers...

But if you love him then main him its that simple he is a awsome character looks awsome.

Hey i main Ganon so yh.

 

[NerdThomas3]

I choose whoever fits my style... Link, Pac-Man, Shulk, Dr. Mario and so on... All my mains are located in my signature while some are secondaries. I do not follow Tier Lists for any Smash game. I say if you like the character (NOT THE MOVESET OF THE CHARACTER. THE CHARACTER ITSELF.) then play as them.

 

[GhostUrsa]

They matter in that they let you know who is doing well in tournaments at up to this point in time. As for a gauge for who is a better character, not so much. The few professionals I've gotten to talk to on this forum mention how Smash 4 is the most balanced Smash game roster to date, and one of the most balanced fighting games with such a large cast. Some of the worst match-ups between characters at most are around a 60/40 against, which is unheard of in a fighting game (They can get as bad as 75/25 against in other games!).

This game seems to be more about finding a character that matches your play-style than any other smash game. You prefer a good combo game, play as Diddy or Sheik. You like to rushdown and blitz your opponent, then Captain Falcon, ZSS and Little Mac maybe up your alley. Like to be 'the Terminator' and scare the crap out of your opponents and capitalize on their mistake, then Ganondorf and Ike are your men at arms. Beat them down while they laugh and underestimate you, then DeDeDe and Wario are great trick characters. There is a character for almost every playstyle (and more if customized Mii fighters become standard!) so that no one should truly be left out of the ring.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

I don't really care about tiers all that much. The only reason I'm not very good with certain characters is because I hate how they play. Tiers don't affect on how I feel about a character I do or don't play as. It's just how I personally feel about them.

 

[Dapplegonger]

It only matter if you play in big local tournaments. Online? Not so much.

This is a really ridiculous and toxic post.

Why do you feel the need to offend people who play on For Glory? You don't get to decide if For Glory is competitive or not (it clearly is)

I didn't mean that everybody who plays For Glory is not competitive, I mean the people who pick Little Mac and SD twice in a row.

 

[ChelioxD]

Tier list shouldn't matter when you play for fun. I actually don't know what people mean when they say they play the game competitively (like they try to win some cash by showing to some random event or what?, if that is the case, if that is the case, I think people who consider themselves "competitive" take themselves way too seriously)

 

[LancerStaff]

I'm going to say yes. Even at lower levels you can usually just feel how good or bad a character is compared to another. I've met lots of players who just dropped their favorites simply because they don't function well in 1v1s.

 

[Deleted member]

Tiers don't matter to me personally. I use whoever I like despite how bad or good they are. That said there are characters that are better than others but that doesn't dictate on what character I choose. My mains pretty much fall on all levels of the tier list and it doesn't phase me one bit.

 

[AreJay25]

Tiers ARE important in competitive play, but honestly this game is balanced enough for me to not really care. The characters I use are really fun to me, and that's all that matters.

 

[qwfwfq]

I like the tier lists because it stokes interesting conversation and thoughts. I like playing with all of the characters. If I find out that professionals think a particular character is better than others, I may give that one a try with a fresher perspective. I started using Dark Pit after watching Nairo play with him and he's become one of my favorites in the game. I don't think he's ranked too highly on anyone's list? Zero had him highish (B or so?). After I saw people claim Diddy to be the best character in the game I gave him a shot but never really took to the style. Same goes for LM. At the end of the day it's all about playing with the characters you have the most fun with. My roommate and I like to play 2v2 with G&W and DDD.

If you want to get intensely competitive and great then I guess the tier list can be a good starting place. But if you're basing all your choices off of that and that alone, I think you're doing it wrong. Part of what makes Smash so cool is its ability to allow players express themselves. Sometimes I just want to be DDD and smash unsuspecting foes into oblivion.

 

[SuperBrawler]

Personally I don't think they matter at all. Play a character you like, or a character that you have fun playing as. I'd probably play my favourite characters even if they were pretty bad. You can get good with a low tier character. Though they are somewhat more important in high competitive.

 

[Roukiske]

They matter if you care more about winning than you do about playing a character you like. Believe me, some people just want to win. Some people want to win with less effort. Some people want to win with their favorite character. Some people just want to play their favorite character. Some people just want to play.

So it matters if it matters to you. We all have our reasons.

Edit: Also yes it does help bring discussion to the table. Which is always good.

 

[C.Hunter]

From the very start I wanted to use Villager, just because I LOVE Animal Crossing!

In the beginning, Rosalina was my BIGGEST problem cuz, y'know for... obvious reasons... I lost a lot of matches fighting her, as well as fast characters like Falcon, Sonic and Sheik. I never once considered changing my main because they were "better" characters against mine, being "top tier" and all. My character was middle tier at the time (around #25), but I didn't care. I use him regardless of his placing

Now... I've gotten better to the point where I can take on ANY FIGHTER with Villager, despite who's "high tier". I guess you could say tiers don't matter to me... =)

 

[Kurri ★]

From the very start I wanted to use Villager, just because I LOVE Animal Crossing!

In the beginning, Rosalina was my BIGGEST problem cuz, y'know for... obvious reasons... I lost a lot of matches fighting her, as well as fast characters like Falcon, Sonic and Sheik. I never once considered changing my main because they were "better" characters against mine, being "top tier" and all. My character was middle tier at the time (around #25), but I didn't care. I use him regardless of his placing

Now... I've gotten better to the point where I can take on ANY FIGHTER with Villager, despite who's "high tier". I guess you could say tiers don't matter to me... =)

Well any character can take on any character, the difference being how easy of a time does that character have against those characters, match ups, how many good mu vs bad do they have, how much work you have to put in, so on and so forth.

That said, unless you're playing competitively, tiers don't really matter.

 

[Xzsmmc]

Yes. Even in casual play, some characters are better than others. It sucks, but it's also an inevitability.

 

[Kurri ★]

Yes. Even in casual play, some characters are better than others. It sucks, but it's also an inevitability.

Somewhat. Tiers generally assume the character is being played to their utmost potential and usually in casual play, you're not doing that. So while it's true Sheik is top tier, it doesn't really matter because the player is most likely not utilizing everything at their disposal.

 

[Tino]

Absolutely not. I just play whoever the hell I wanna play as regardless of potential or whatever the hell that **** is for.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Depends what level you want to play on. If you want to go to tournaments and compete for prize money then you'll need to play the best characters, simple as that, but if you just sit at home and play For Glory or w/e then it doesn't matter at all. Some characters have higher ceilings than others, but that ceiling will only ever be tested in top level play, pretty much everywhere else the ceiling is low enough to allow you to play who you want to.

 

[EnigmaSSB]

I never found that tiers REALLY mattered. Of course, this is coming from a guy with three high-tier characters as his mains. I've seen plenty of success from people who play lower level characters. Especially in Smash 4, where fundamentals mean so much more than anything, and the characters are pretty close overall. I mean, look at NorCal as an example. ITO is a fantastic Metaknight main. We've seen people take tournaments with Mii Swordfighter, who is considered the worst character in the game.

Yes, tiers do exist for a reason, and being able to play a character like Shiek at a high level might bring you more success, but if you're not having fun what's the point? One of our players here in BC is a fantastic player that uses more low tier characters like Charizard and Mewtwo. Just a couple of weeks ago he started knocking out people very high on our PR who use more "high tier" characters. He did it with great fundamentals and game knowledge. Play characters that you enjoy, and create a play-style around it.