Honestly, when you're just starting you don't need to be as strict about picking from the top 8. You'll be a lot more motivated to practice and play if you're playing a character that you really connect with and enjoy. If you find that in a top 8 character, great! But there are people who have tournament success with Link/Young Link, Pikachu, Samus, Luigi, Dr. Mario, and Ganon. Even Yoshi and DK (even though it's much less common). There are certain character that have weaknesses so great they would severely be holding you back (Bowser, Mr. G&W, Kirby, Ness), but it will be a long time before you're at the level that Link is no longer viable. Just find a character that you really enjoy and dive deep into that character. Study the best players of that character and learn what works for them and how they're able to set up and maintain combos. And of course, grind out tech-skill. Learning to tech, l-cancel, and wavedash consistently and effectively will make you better with every character in the cast. And most of all, play with as many people as you can, especially if they're better than you. And when you're playing with people that you can easily beat, don't play to win, play to learn (use that time to try out new techniques and strategies you wouldn't be able to focus on against more skilled opponents). Good luck, man!
