• Welcome to Smashboards, the world's largest Super Smash Brothers community! Over 250,000 Smash Bros. fans from around the world have come to discuss these great games in over 19 million posts!

    You are currently viewing our boards as a visitor. Click here to sign up right now and start on your path in the Smash community!

History of ultimate Ike's tier placement

XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
As the meta progresses, we sometimes forget how we got to the point we're at. Remembering the past helps us develop better tools for predicting the future and staying ahead of the curve, and prevent us from falling into fallacious thinking. So for posterity, I'll keep this thread as a record of Ike's placement in the meta. Generally tier placement.

PRE-LAUNCH ver 1.0.0​

June 12, 2018 - ZeRo picks up Ike as one of his 3 choices at the E3 Invitational, and handily beats top melee player Armada.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5U_BOXlcDw

June 15, 2018 - Dabuz expects Cloud and other sword players to jump to Ike. Describes him as a "monster" though perhaps not top tier.
https://youtu.be/v9c4CBAn7oE?t=1527

July 27, 2018 - ESAM places Ike high tier / Rank #9 (out of an incomplete roster of 29)
https://youtu.be/CXdEPOciggw?t=2402

Aug 1, 2018 - Mew2King places Ike high tier / Rank #15 (out of an incomplete roster of 30)
https://youtu.be/e3i-FVnP0oE?t=895

Aug 13, 2018 - ZeRo places Ike high tier / Rank #13 (out of an incomplete roster of 30)
https://youtu.be/Kqw_0lNe4WU?t=1422

Oct 26, 2018 - ESAM re-places Ike at the very least middle of the road to upper mid tier. He seems to be reducing his expectations.
https://youtu.be/rhbzfCjJMZA?t=292

Nov 4, 2018 - Abadango places Ike high tier / Rank #24
https://twitter.com/Abadango/status/1059291104841883649

Nov 5, 2018 - Nairo places Ike high tier / Rank #25.
https://i.imgur.com/V21Fn8E.png

Nov 5, 2018 - Marcbri places Ike top tier / Rank #16
https://twitter.com/Marcbri/status/1059584211835858950

Nov 5, 2018 - ZeRo re-places Ike top tier / Rank #16. He seems to be maintaining or increasing his expectations. ZeRo thinks the new engine will actually benefit Ike in numerous ways, especially since some characters have lost their horizontal recoveries, while Ike's remains intact, giving him options off stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn-AcKCMN3w&t=1606s

Nov 6, 2018 - Dabuz re-places Ike top tier / Rank #2. His expectations have risen dramatically.
https://twitter.com/DabuzSenpai/status/1059970410773729280

Nov 8, 2018 - Averaged score of 5 top players places Ike high tier Rank #16
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/9vchd6/i_combined_zeros_nairos_abadangos_and_dabuzs/

Nov 22, 2018 - ZeRo places Ike top tier / Rank #11 for doubles.
https://i.imgur.com/XRAx1Tb.png

Dec 3, 2018 - ShoyoJames places Ike A tier / Rank #10
https://twitter.com/ShoyoJames/status/1069751079162839042

Dec 5, 2018 - ESAM re-places Ike mid-high tier / Rank #22 seemingly increasing his expectations back to where he started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExN4FuY6ANw

Dec 5, 2018 - Cosmo places Ike B-tier / Rank #38, Ike's lowest placing yet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP2fuHeWWJE

At this point, the general consensus seemed to be that Ike is probably a high tier or top tier character. Especially among top players. However, Ike mains, after having seen more information and footage over time and having some hands-on time, began expressing doubt. Ike mains developed a worry that he might be overhyped, some expressing worry that might make him the target of unduly nerfing. However, most are cautiously optimistic. Some have compared him to Project M Ike.

POST LAUNCH ver 1.1.0 (dec 7)
​
Dec 8, 2018 - Leffen places Ike high tier / Rank #16 in his day 1 tier list.
https://youtu.be/Q9PBEHo8X9Q?t=2427

​
Dec 8, 2018 - ZeRo places Ike high tier / Rank #18-49 in his day 1 tier unordered list, dropping Ike 7-38 spots.
https://i.imgur.com/a9xd2sQ.jpg
PATCH ver 1.2.0 (dec 13)

​
Dec 14, 2018 - Leffen places Ike B tier / Rank #29 in his patch 1.2.0 tier list, dropping Ike 13 spots.
https://youtu.be/BJ5Yt-WoswM?t=2431

Dec 17, 2018 - ZeRo re-places Ike high tier / Rank #17 in his 1.2.0 tier list, jumping back 6-32 spots to to his original placement.
https://youtu.be/kBqjNVFv6Go?t=1420

Dec 18, 2018 - VoiD places Ike 3rd tier / Rank #16
https://i.imgur.com/uO7f5d6.png

Dec 18 , 2018 - MVD places Ike high tier / Rank #23
https://twitter.com/MVD731/status/1075239803313115136

Dec 18, 2018 - Coney places Ike 2nd tier / top 8 viable
https://twitter.com/coneyzz/status/1075075165254496261

PATCH ver 1.2.1 (dec 21)​

Dec 22, 2018 - Ryuga, a top Smash 4 Ike player, places Ike high-mid tier / within top 23
https://twitter.com/trueRyuga/status/1076634805973016578

Dec 26, 2018 - Rain + Shogun place Ike A tier / Rank #25
https://twitter.com/DJArcatek/status/1078044105228369922

Dec 26, 2018 - dyr places Ike high tier / Rank #22
https://twitter.com/dyrSSB/status/1078068896798781441

Dec 30, 2018 - Blank places Ike 2nd tier / Rank #9
https://twitter.com/BlankSmash/status/1079290968300576768

Dec 31, 2018 - ANTi places Ike top tier / Rank #4
https://twitter.com/Anti/status/1079999693294313473

Dec 31, 2018 - Pandarian places Ike high tier / Rank #21
https://twitter.com/Pandarianssb/status/1079837349473804296

Jan 2, 2019 - Sol places Ike high tier / Rank #16
https://twitter.com/Solreth/status/1080609134649708551

Jan 4, 2019 - BestNess places Ike B tier / Rank #22
https://twitter.com/BestNess_/status/1081337178335002624

Meta analysis of various tier lists up to this point show Ike has an average of about high tier / Rank #21 and that he has mostly stayed the same since launch day, dropping only about 5 places since then.
https://old.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/adjxyl/ultimate_pro_players_tier_lists_combined_month_1/

First Ultimate major is won by Ike (MKLeo) (jan 6)
​
Jan 7, 2019 - Leffen re-places Ike top tier / Rank #11, up 18 spots from last month
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/adnqv4/leffen_has_created_a_new_tier_list/

Jan 10, 2019 - MKLeo places Ike A+ tier / Rank 7-25, as the current top Ike main in his first ever tier list
https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1083561328558727168

Jan 11, 2019 - Dabuz re-places Ike 2nd tier / Rank 17-34, dropping him 15-32 spots in one of the biggest drops to date.
https://www.smashtierlist.com/60cc68458f2e1c982b709106b5dba195c6942fa01e0f57bb836ae68a801d4246/

Jan 12, 2019 - SmashCentralOfficial places Ike 3rd tier / Rank #19 on their month 1 tournaments results-based tier list
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THSGLOJVjNY

Jan 18, 2019 - Mr. R places Ike S tier / Rank #8 in development potential in his first ultimate list
https://twitter.com/Mr_RSmash/status/1086330276312100865

By this point Ike has been dubbed by the smash community as "Nair: The Character" and people generally think he's placed pretty high.

PATCH ver 2.0.0 | aethercide nerfed (jan 29)​

Feb 2, 2019 - Vinnie places Ike A tier / Rank #5, Ike's highest placement in months
https://twitter.com/VinnieClimber/status/1091709106719780865

First Ultimate supermajor is won by Ike (MKLeo) (feb 3)
​
Feb 5, 2019 - Ryuga replaces Ike A+ tier / Rank #11, at least a full tier higher than previously
https://twitter.com/trueRyuga/status/1092894966840475649

Feb 7, 2019 - Leo places Ike 2nd tier / Rank #13, a week after winning Genesis 6 with Ike (and Lucina as his counterpick).
https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1093782648592359424

Feb 7, 2019 - Samsora places Ike A tier / Rank #9, in his first tier list.
https://twitter.com/Samsora_/status/1093719927595372545

Feb 8, 2019 - Tweek places Ike high tier / Rank #14, in his first tier list.
https://clips.twitch.tv/WiseGentleTroutSoBayed

Feb 9, 2019 - Meta analysis of various tier lists up to this point show Ike has an average of about high tier / Rank #15 and that he has mostly stayed the mostly the same since the last monthly meta analysis.
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/aow76s/ultimate_pronotable_players_tier_lists_combined/

Feb 14, 2019 - Dabuz places Ike top tier / Rank #10, up 7-24 spots since his last tier list
https://twitter.com/DabuzSenpai/status/1096168119847043072

Feb 18, 2019 - Leffen replaces Ike top tier / Rank #8, up 3 spots since his last tier list
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DztYlCiWsAYFsB_.jpg

Feb 21, 2019 - Pink Fresh places Ike A tier / Rank #13
https://twitter.com/PinkFreshhh/status/1098576212765691904

Feb 24, 2019 - Afro Smash places Ike top tier / Rank #7
https://twitter.com/TheAfroSmash/status/1099789306745503745

Feb 26, 2019 - VoiD replaces Ike top tier / Rank #13, up 3 spots since his last tier list
https://twitter.com/gsmVoiD/status/1100589974120886272

Feb 27, 2019 - Pandarian places Ike 2nd tier / Rank #16 in his first tier list
https://twitter.com/Pandarianssb/status/1100895369993412609

Mar 7, 2019 - Meta analysis of various tier lists up to this point show Ike has an average of about high tier / Rank #12 and that he has risen 3 spots since the last monthly meta analysis
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/ayheaq/ultimate_pros_tier_lists_combined_month_3/



First Ultimate Summit is won by MKLeo (mar 10)​

Mar 10, 2019 - Leo wins Summit mostly using Lucina with Ike on the backburner, but he says Ike is "still a thing".

Mar 10, 2019 - ZeRo replaces Ike high tier / Rank #11, up 6 spots since his last tier list. Keep in mind this video was released the morning of Mar 10, the third and final day of Summit before finals, and may have been finalized before Summit even happened.
https://youtu.be/AmokjnGM0xM?t=1692
​
Mar 22, 2019 - Dabuz places Ike high tier / Rank #14, down 4 spots since his last tier list
https://i.imgur.com/tMq00wy.png

By this point Ike is at his highest rated he's ever been by the community as a whole. Mathematically, his hype is at an all time high. However, among Ike mains (both top and in general), his rankings seem to be falling slightly across the board. This seems to be due in large part to Leo's choice to go Lucina in the tough fights at Summit.
 
Last edited:
DrKatz

DrKatz

Smash Cadet
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
62
I saw that video yesterday. I’m the “some” that compared him to PM Ike, haha.

In all seriousness, I think Ike will be much better than he was in a Smash 4, and he will feel better to play. And that’s what’s important.

Project M Ike is a solid mid-tier character, but I would never even consider switching my main since he feels fluid and fast. He can still win any match-up as long as you play intelligently and outspace your opponent.

I think he’ll be “good enough” to be a character that can never be counted out, and that’s great!
 
Xuan Wu

Xuan Wu

Valor Ablaze
Joined
Nov 1, 2013
Messages
342
Location
Tri-Cities, Michigan
NNID
Xuanwu_2014
Excellent. Here's hoping Ike will be able to keep up this time as the meta unfolds.

It is refreshing to see positive reception on him pre-launch, especially since I remember him being viewed as bottom tier material during the 3DS days.
 
ADYBE

ADYBE

Smash Cadet
Joined
Oct 21, 2018
Messages
28
Switch FC
SW-8398-5678-1580
It’s funny that a lot of fire emblem characters are placed high-top tier in zero and others tier list and everyone complain there is too much swordmen with blue hair in this game.
 
h4 Gambiteer

h4 Gambiteer

Smash Cadet
Writing Team
Joined
Dec 2, 2018
Messages
40
Location
Tellius
XDaDePsak said:
As the meta progresses, we sometimes forget how we got to the point we're at. Remembering the past helps us develop better tools for predicting the future and staying ahead of the curve, and prevent us from falling into fallacious thinking. So for posterity, I'll keep this thread as a record of Ike's placement in the meta. Generally tier placement.

PRELAUNCH

June 12, 2018 - ZeRo picks up Ike as one of his 3 choices at the E3 Invitational, and handily beats top melee player Armada.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5U_BOXlcDw

June 15, 2018 - Dabuz expects Cloud and other sword players to jump to Ike. Describes him as a "monster" though perhaps not top tier.
https://youtu.be/v9c4CBAn7oE?t=1527

July 27, 2018 - ESAM places Ike high tier / Rank #9 (out of an incomplete roster of 29)
https://youtu.be/CXdEPOciggw?t=2402

Aug 1, 2018 - Mew2King places Ike high tier / Rank #15 (out of an incomplete roster of 30)
https://youtu.be/e3i-FVnP0oE?t=895

Aug 13, 2018 - ZeRo places Ike high tier / Rank #13 (out of an incomplete roster of 30)
https://youtu.be/Kqw_0lNe4WU?t=1422

Oct 26, 2018 - ESAM re-places Ike at the very least middle of the road to upper mid tier. He seems to be reducing his expectations.
https://youtu.be/rhbzfCjJMZA?t=292

Nov 4, 2018 - Abadango places Ike high tier / Rank #24
https://twitter.com/Abadango/status/1059291104841883649

Nov 5, 2018 - Nairo places Ike high tier / Rank #25.
https://i.imgur.com/V21Fn8E.png

Nov 5, 2018 - Marcbri places Ike top tier / Rank #16
https://twitter.com/Marcbri/status/1059584211835858950

Nov 5, 2018 - ZeRo re-places Ike top tier / Rank #16. He seems to be maintaining or increasing his expectations. ZeRo thinks the new engine will actually benefit Ike in numerous ways, especially since some characters have lost their horizontal recoveries, while Ike's remains intact, giving him options off stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn-AcKCMN3w&t=1606s

Nov 6, 2018 - Dabuz re-places Ike top tier / Rank #2. His expectations have risen dramatically.
https://twitter.com/DabuzSenpai/status/1059970410773729280

Nov 8, 2018 - Averaged score of 5 top players places Ike high tier Rank #16
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/9vchd6/i_combined_zeros_nairos_abadangos_and_dabuzs/

Nov 22, 2018 - ZeRo places Ike top tier / Rank #11 for doubles.
https://i.imgur.com/XRAx1Tb.png

At this point, the general consensus seemed to be that Ike is probably a high tier or top tier character. Especially among top players. However, Ike mains, after having seen more information and footage over time and having some hands-on time, began expressing doubt. Ike mains developed a worry that he might be overhyped, some expressing worry that might make him the target of unduly nerfing. However, most are cautiously optimistic. Some have compared him to Project M Ike.
Click to expand...
I hope you don't mind if I include a screenshot of this post in a video I'm making? Just as a brief visual, and I'll include a link here.
 
Nidtendofreak

Nidtendofreak

Smash Hero
Joined
Feb 10, 2006
Messages
7,265
Location
Belleville, Ontario
NNID
TheNiddo
3DS FC
3668-7651-8940
Banjobeast158 said:
Still higher than he's ever been, It will be interesting to see where he places eventually.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind he also has Snake down in E tier... and he's the only person I see low balling Snake. Most have him in high if not top.

Realistically, no tier lists are going to be practical for anything for a good month. Not until people start parrying/edgeguarding most consistently and we can actually see who can deal with those things and who can't. Like I'm expecting the Belmonts to drop a reasonable amount after that point, Inkling to drop once people realize that Inkling can't handle swords, etc etc.
 
N

NerfAkira

Smash Rookie
Joined
Aug 16, 2015
Messages
18
Banjobeast158 said:
I wonder what made him change his mind?
Click to expand...
nothing did, im pretty sure that list was not ordered. just like his current list seeming unordered entirely.

Edit:

in fact no, i can confirm neither of his lists are ordered. his first one specifically says un-ordered at the top, and his newer tier list, he speifically says Ken has more potential than Ryu, but if that list was ordered, that would mean he goes directly against what he says to ryu ahead of ken. given how clumped up Zero's tier list is, i'd argue its pretty impossible for them to ordered correctly given how varied the character are.
 
Last edited:
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
I updated the list with like 10 different ones I somehow missed, along with a meta analysis.

Now that Leo just won the very first Ultimate supermajor ever... with Ike... I expect Ike to magically start rising up the tier lists. Lets see how it goes...
 
TheHero

TheHero

Smash Cadet
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
Messages
34
Why do you guys care about Ike's tier list placement? It is going to be totally irrelevant to getting better playing Ike.
 
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
Tier placement will likely have a lot of influence on the game's meta. It can affect things like how many new people pick up Ike, public perception of the character, and possibly even things like nerfs and buffs as the balancing team looks at which characters have exceptional facets or overrepresentation. As I already mentioned, being able to anticipate the direction of the meta can be useful, and that's quite relevant information.


Regardless, that question is unnecessarily snarky. Why do you care about what other people care about? It is going to be totally irrelevant to your enjoyment of the game. See how easy it is to talk in terms like that? Trying to police what other people find interesting is a bit silly and maybe a touch hypocritical.
 
Last edited:
Wumbo105

Wumbo105

Smash Ace
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Messages
746
Location
Queens, NY
XDaDePsak said:
I updated the list with like 10 different ones I somehow missed, along with a meta analysis.

Now that Leo just won the very first Ultimate supermajor ever... with Ike... I expect Ike to magically start rising up the tier lists. Lets see how it goes...
Click to expand...
It wasn't a supermajor...it was barely a major. Might wanna edit your post for that. First Ultimate major will be Genesis 6. But it'll still affect his placing I'm sure.
 
Last edited:
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
Last edited:
Stealth309

Stealth309

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
100
Location
Parts Unknown
XDaDePsak said:
Tier placement will likely have a lot of influence on the game's meta. It can affect things like how many new people pick up Ike, public perception of the character, and possibly even things like nerfs and buffs as the balancing team looks at which characters have exceptional facets or overrepresentation. As I already mentioned, being able to anticipate the direction of the meta can be useful, and that's quite relevant information.


Regardless, that question is unnecessarily snarky. Why do you care about what other people care about? It is going to be totally irrelevant to your enjoyment of the game. See how easy it is to talk in terms like that? Trying to police what other people find interesting is a bit silly and maybe a touch hypocritical.
Click to expand...
https://youtu.be/XOOK1vV9GME
 
san.

san.

1/Sympathy = Divide By Zero
Moderator
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
5,651
Location
Rochester, NY
NNID
Sansoldier
3DS FC
4957-2846-2924
I don't care about the placements, but I do care about the reasoning. A lot of what people say concerning characters are similar, but one player may value advantage A over weakness B, unlike another player who thinks the strength is not good enough.
 
niCkHatHito

niCkHatHito

Smash Rookie
Joined
Nov 3, 2014
Messages
13
Location
Rahway, New Jersey
I think Ike is going to need a secondary to cover some match-ups, have a feeling his up b recovery is going to be exploitable by some characters that might jump tiers later in the game's cycle that can gimp Ike (i.e. Megaman is has a lot of undiscovered tech, and the charged smash and gimp). If forced into using up B he'll be like Chrom to some, getting killed at low percents for free. At least has high mix-ups with side b, but sometimes you get forced into using up b and it's curtains when your opponent knows how to exploit it.

Also have a feeling he'll be more susceptible to parrying, assuming that naturally becomes more common as players learn timings and the game matures.

Guess I'm saying he's probably going to be near the best/highest tier now~ish, rather than later.
 
Last edited:
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
Jan 10, 2019 - MKLeo places Ike A+ tier / Rank 7-25, as the current top Ike main in his first ever tier list
https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1083561328558727168

Jan 11, 2019 - Dabuz re-places Ike 2nd tier / Rank 17-34, dropping him 15-32 spots in one of the biggest drops to date.
https://www.smashtierlist.com/60cc68458f2e1c982b709106b5dba195c6942fa01e0f57bb836ae68a801d4246/

Jan 12, 2019 - SmashCentralOfficial places Ike 3rd tier / Rank #19 on their Month 1 tournaments results-based tier list
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THSGLOJVjNY
 
Last edited:
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
Feb 5, 2019 - Ryuga replaces Ike A+ tier / Rank #11, at least a full tier higher than previously
https://twitter.com/trueRyuga/status/1092894966840475649

Feb 7, 2019 - Leo places Ike 2nd tier / Rank #13, a week after winning Genesis 6 with Ike (and Lucina as his counterpick).
https://twitter.com/Mkleosb/status/1093782648592359424

Feb 8, 2019 - Tweek places Ike high tier / Rank #14
https://clips.twitch.tv/WiseGentleTroutSoBayed

Feb 9, 2019 - Meta analysis of various tier lists up to this point show Ike has an average of about high tier / Rank #15 and that he has mostly stayed the mostly the same since the last metanalysis.
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/aow76s/ultimate_pronotable_players_tier_lists_combined/
 
Last edited:
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
First Ultimate Summit is won by MKLeo (mar 10)​

Mar 10, 2019 - Leo wins Summit mostly using Lucina with Ike on the backburner, but he says Ike is "still a thing".

 
XDaDePsak

XDaDePsak

BRoomer
BRoomer
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Messages
10,074
more updates

Feb 14, 2019 - Dabuz places Ike top tier / Rank #10, up 7-24 spots since his last tier list
https://twitter.com/DabuzSenpai/status/1096168119847043072

Feb 18, 2019 - Leffen replaces Ike top tier / Rank #8, up 3 spots since his last tier list
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DztYlCiWsAYFsB_.jpg

Feb 26, 2019 - VoiD replaces Ike top tier / Rank #13, up 3 spots since his last tier list
https://twitter.com/gsmVoiD/status/1100589974120886272

Feb 27, 2019 - Pandarian places Ike 2nd tier / Rank #16 in his first tier list
https://twitter.com/Pandarianssb/status/1100895369993412609

Mar 7, 2019 - Meta analysis of various tier lists up to this point show Ike has an average of about high tier / Rank #12 and that he has risen 3 spots since the last monthly meta analysis
https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/ayheaq/ultimate_pros_tier_lists_combined_month_3/

Mar 10, 2019 - ZeRo replaces Ike high tier / Rank #11, up 6 spots since his last tier list. Keep in mind this video was released the morning of Mar 10, the third and final day of Summit before finals, and may have been finalized before Summit even happened.
https://youtu.be/AmokjnGM0xM?t=1692

Mar 22, 2019 - Dabuz places Ike high tier / Rank #14, down 4 spots since his last tier list
https://i.imgur.com/tMq00wy.png
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom