I'm new to the game and I haven't decided on a main yet, and there's a tournament next month

[Cynthetik]

I used to main Sheik because I like ninjas. But then after about 50 or so FG games, I lost a good majority of those games, so I stopped playing her and moved on to a new character, Zero Suit Samus. I watched Officer Jenny games and I was inspired to play her. Then realized I lost too many games with her, and moved on. I picked up Bowser Jr and Peach, both of which were really fun. I watch a lot of Dark.Pch too, and his tutorials are really helpful. I won a couple of games with Bowser Jr, and probably at least 1 with Peach, but haven't really played too many online matches with her, just stuck to level7 CPUs for practice.

With a tournament coming on July 11, and me not having decided a main yet. These are the finalists.

Sheik
Zero Suit
Peach
Bowser JR.

I enjoy playing all of them equally, and I might even have fun with Peach, but I'm afraid Peach might be too difficult and overwhelming for me to pick up, and I'm afraid that I'll fail with her.

Which of these characters are the easiest to play among the four? Which should I start picking up as a new player?

 

[Kurri ★]

I'm biased, but Zero Suit Samus. Don't worry too much about how well you do with any of the characters yet, no matter how easy they are, you still have to put in the work to get even decent with them. As a beginner, you're going to lose a lot of games, rather than focusing on the loss itself, focus on why you loss. Save your replays and watch them later, analyze, and compare them to the play of others, like Officer Jenny and Nairo. And since you can send replays to other people, have someone else analyze your play and get deeper insight on how to improve.

Now to actually justify ZSS. She's just a really good character. Admittedly Sheik is better, but unless you're Mr.R, she's boring; ZSS is flashy. She has many options, is fast, great recovery, great combo game, lots of match ups in her favor, and even those not in her favor she can still do very well. If you'd like to learn more, I'd suggest heading over to Zero Suit Samus' Discussion Board.

 

[Nixon Corral]

Echoing Kurri a bit, I'd say that not only in preparation for, but actually at this first tournament, definitely don't get down if you find yourself losing more than winning. Try to play friendlies with people who will help you learn and give you tips. If you stick with Smash, it can be very enriching!

Personally, I think Peach has one of the more unique movesets and movement styles in the game, so I'd say go with here, but Sheik is certainly better. Ultimately, it's up to you, but I would definitely recommend settling on just one to start so you don't spread yourself too thin.

 

[Fooni]

Tbh losing more matches may give you more experience on learning how to play.
So in my opinion all four of them are good to play by you. It depends on how much you play them over time.
Peach has a good chance for survival while on the other hand Sheik may have advantages if you go all out.
Zero Suit Samus is basically the same idea with Sheik. Bower Jr. will probably be like Peach, good chance for Survival
although you can go all out too. "Practice makes Perfect"
If its not too late yet, i recommended playing Pit/Dark Pit. Good survival chances and also his Side B does quite powerful.
His Up B is quite useful and can skip pass people if they're edge guarding the stage.

 

[Godzillionaire]

Tbh losing more matches may give you more experience on learning how to play.

This man speaks the truth. It's not about how well you do off the bat, it's about taking in all the info and learning how to adapt to certain situations

 

[Trick or Treat]

Peach is by far my best character, and obviously my main. She has great recovery, and her UpB is a great offensive move if used correctly. And her FAir is absolutely beautiful as a powerful kill move.

But if you prefer the more quick and agile characters, she probably wouldn't be the best fit.

As others have said, the best way to get better is to just learn and analyze and even watching others play helps, too. Character choice alone won't lead you to victory. Your character doesn't matter if you don't really have all the experience and skill.

 

[Raijinken]

Sheik's easy to play and generally a top-level character anyway, so unless you like the other three as non-Smash characters more, go with Sheik.

Of those, I'd say Peach is the hardest to play. Bowser Jr.'s playstyle is pretty different from the other three, too.

 

[Dylan_Tnga]

I used to main Sheik because I like ninjas.

Win. ****ing WIN!!! Ninjas rule. Tongaaaa!

 

[Deleted member 269706]

If you wanna win, go for Shiek or ZSS. Great frame data and relatively easy to pick up. If you want to really be challenged to understand a fighter (and I would argue to have more fun), pick up one of the others. PERSONALLY (and I want it to be clear that this is my OPINION), I find the mid & lower tier characters fun more fun to play as. Ike, Ganon, Jigglypuff, Peach, and Samus to name a few. I also found Falcon pretty fun as well, but after the patch he's just not the same.

 

[Wnyke]

In my opinion you can try to get used to the character... once there you should focus on mobility... avoid running everywhere and try to use walking more along with some short hops... then just go to training and know your moves focusing on knowing which move is the safest, the fastest, the most damaging, the one that has more reach... and if your character has true combos learn some of them... finally learn the set ups, but for this and your reading skills you need to practice in real matches ideally against humans...

 

[wingedarcher7]

Since you're new to the game, I'm going to bring up the point that many other people here have mentioned. The better odds are that you're going to have a tough time, people put a lot of time into this game and practice a lot so there's bound to be plenty of people like that there. But I don't want that to discourage you from going, in fact, I think it's the perfect reason to go! They're lots of fun and you learn so much.

As for who you should play, I honestly think that you should keep going through all four characters, playing each one a bit and then seeing who your personal favorite is. Tier lists will point you to Sheik or ZSS, but I honestly say ignore that. You can be good with whoever you want, and I think the most enjoyment and dedication comes from playing someone you actually enjoy or have fun with. It makes the games that much better and pushes you to practice with them since there's more of a connection than "I only use them to win." Besides, you can really win a tournament with anyone. So my input here is, go with whoever you have the most fun with and try to see what you can learn! Good luck!

 

[Axel311]

Yeah, definitely Shiek or ZSS out of those 4. They're very competitive characters if you're looking to actually do well in tourneys. But then again, if you don't enjoy playing the character you won't have the motitivation to get good with them so their place on the tier list is moot. I main Dedede even though he's low mid tier because I have the best results with him and enjoy him more than my any others. So what's high on the tier list may not be the best for your style or skill set. Plus, we should have more balance patches ahead so I wouldn't write off any characters as not being competitive yet. I think all the characters you've listed are mid-tier or above anyways. Probably all high mid tier or above.

 

[Bleck]

Bowser Jr. 'cause he ain't a scrub character