Okay, guys. After a lot of careful discussion, the powers that be have crafted a list. This is a definitive list of movesets, representing the very best in quality as well as giving you a complete look at the history of Make Your Move. This is the roster we would submit to Sakurai for a theoretical SSBMYM. Bear in mind that this list is not set in stone, and will change as time goes by and new movesets are submitted. As it is now, we feel it best represents all that MYM has to offer, and reading all of these movesets will have given you a great understanding of what makes a good moveset.
Enjoy!
THE MOVESETS OF MYM
A DEFINITIVE ROSTER: HISTORY AND QUALITY
-- MYM 1.0 --
MYM 1 was marked by a very relaxed atmosphere. There was little to no sense of competition. Fawriel, however, stood out from the crowd with his simple, readable, fun movesets, like this one. He was also, of course, MYM's founder, and formulated the Infinite Sakurai Theorem. He left MYM in the hands of another and has never visited it since.
~~ MYM 2.0 ~~
MYM 2 was much like the first MYM, except that it was the first one that started to have what you'd call "regulars". Its champion set was Paper Mario, but that set is largely forgettable and won on the basis of character bias; this set for an obscure group of characters placed second. Note the great improvement this set is over Furret, especially in terms of detail. El Duderino himself disappeared soon after the end of MYM 2.0.
(( MYM 3.0 ))
Dracula is probably the most famous and influential moveset in the history of MYM. It was a giant leap forward for its creator, Mendez, who was already becoming a legend based off of his intelligent posting, creative movesets, and brilliant set organization. Dracula's creativity was unsurpassed at the time he was posted. He singlehandedly caused the rest of MYM to take heed and step up their games, and marked the point that "just for fun" became a real contest. Dracula himself is still a shining beacon of simplicity working out and visual appeal.
Warlord, like Mendez, was a rising star. He replied to Dracula with a string of Soul Calibur movesets that oozed creativity and were heavy on special mechanics, on detail, and on extras. The last of these was Cervantes. He was immediately raised up on a pedestal, right next to Dracula, and seemed the obvious runner-up.
Junahu's Donna was the first set that proved that even an original character - or OC - had the potential to rake in a lot of votes. He also showed that you didn't have to be a big name in MYM to place highly, as Donna's 4th place medal showed. Junahu posted fairly little and was more or less an unknown when he posted her. Today, of course, he's one of the most lauded MYMers around.
The Headless Horseman was the last moveset posted in MYM 3.0, and was posted on the last day, which just happened to be Halloween. This move made the moveset's reception all the greater, and it placed 3rd on the back of its organization, creativity, and intriguing mechanic. K.Rool had taken inspiration from Mendez and Warlord, and emphasized readability and overall playstyle in his later MYM 3.0 movesets.
«« MYM 4 »»
Kawasaki placed first in MYM 4 on the basis of a massive hype campaign. He also featured a unique, interactive mechanic, light, approachable organization, and nary a generic attack to be found. In recent times, some MYMers look back at him less than fondly, but he stood out then and now as a more digestable moveset in an overdetailed period.
Kibble had been an MYMing stalwart since MYM 2.0, but it wasn't until MYM 4 that he stepped up his game and proved that he was one of the best. He quickly became one of the most popular and acclaimed moveset makers, as, quite apart from his great creativity and really easy reading style, he had always been one of the most likable regulars. The idea of him making excellent sets like this - a two-in-one character that just grips you and won't let go - was very appealing to the average MYMer.
Simirror's one of those sets that you can read any number of times and still find something new each time. He was incredibly true to his Kirby-based character, had the kind of playstyle that could fit into an actual Smash game without missing a beat, and was the first moveset based around defensive magic. This was a milestone in organization, creativity, and so much else, and cemented agidius as one of the MYMers who was changing with the times.
Mendez was ever present, now as an authority figure, and he soon came out with this brilliant moveset. Sadly, his brilliant organization is no longer all there; the moveset has fallen into disrepair since Mendez's departure. The breathtaking mechanic, however, implementing the character's motorcycle directly into his moveset, is still there and just as compelling as ever.
Along with Shine and Bright, this was Kibble's other major offering to his favorite series. This mighty four-character moveset had been in the works for a good two months, and its arrival did not disappoint, as it proved to have four entirely fascinating characters, each with styles that would be utterly unique, from the bomb-heavy Poppy Bro to the grab-obsessed Bugsy. This was the set that first cemented Kibble as a great moveset maker, although it wouldn't place as highly as Shine and Bright (see above).
Another rising presence in the MYM world, Hyper_Ridley turned in a batch of excellent movesets in MYM 3.0 but never really took off until MYM 4. Black Doom was his opus, an eclectic character based around making your own playstyle through a batch of attacks that did things nobody else had ever thought of. The number of interactions HR had hidden between the lines was unparallelled at the time, and is a trademark that continued in his later sets.
Shanoa was the breakthrough set from one of the most reliable and stalwart MYMers, MarthTrinity. Active since MYM 2, it took him a while to get the recognition he deserves, and he is still brutally underrated to this day for his unobtrusive, less-than-flashy movesets. However, his work has never been anything short of excellent, and most especially in Shanoa, whose greatest claim to fame was the best yet implementation of an attack with effects that vary depending on the enemy character. Shanoa remains a great read and an immersion into the mind of its creator.
Cortez /
Hyper_Ridley and
goldwyvern
HR's other excellent set of the contest, along with Black Doom, was the first truly effective and successful "joint set", a moveset that resulted from the collaboration of multiple moveset makers. When he teamed up with a relatively maligned MYMer, they crafted this monstrosity, who boasts a versatile, clever playstyle, a brilliantly fitting mechanic, and HR's trademark clinical writing style.
Undead Hero has a rather heavy writing style, as with all of dancingfrogman's sets. Here was an MYMer who had been popular and successful since MYM 2, but whose overdetail only got worse with the rest of the movesets in MYM 4, resulting in the majority of MYMers overlooking his brilliantly creative ideas that never quite seemed too outrageous to work. Undead Hero was - and is still often considered - his best work, despite being for such an obscure character. In fact, MYM 4 can be considered the golden age of DFM, as overdetailed sets were quite the norm and so his creativity was more noticed in general.
Kefka is laden with Final Fantasy references, is positively bubbling with creativity, and perfectly captures the spirit of a manic clown. Spadefox brought to him his simple - but obscenely effective - organization and succinct descriptions; he, like frogman, had been a faithful MYMer who broke through for the first time in MYM 4. Kefka was only one in a long chain of powerful entries, and served as a welcome respite to the era of overdetail.
Pleinair and her creator represent an MYMing success story. The relatively unknown emergency slipped onto the scene with this one, rather slight and unobtrusive moveset, and his hard work was immediately recognized, despite his not being one of the bigger names in the thread. Pleinair would go on to place in the Top 20, and remains a beautifully organized moveset that marries simplicity to creativity. Truly a charming read, and it goes to show how almost anyone can "go the distance".
As the thread he had started entered its last days, Kibble took everyone by surprise with this powerhouse moveset with the amazing playstyle and the patented readability. With it, he proved once and for all that he had become one of the "Big 3", as they were not-so-affectionately dubbed by those that cried bias - MasterWarlord, KingK.Rool, and SirKibble.
By the end of MYM 4, Mendez had begun to lose interest in Make Your Move. This set, posted around the halfway mark, was one he had been prodded into posting, as he had never been completely satisfied with it; however, its organization, friendly level of detail, and simplistic but interesting concepts made for an easy, inviting read, and it proved just as popular as his earlier movesets. Mendez's departure is still remembered as one of the greatest losses MYM has suffered; his friendly, intelligent demeanour and air of easy authority have never quite been matched since.
[[ MYM 5 ]]
The ultimate joint set between two of the closest friends in MYM, Acid Seaforce had it all, quite simply; a beautiful do-it-yourself playstyle, individual moves that were oozing uniqueness, a charming organization, perfect balance, and a writing style that simply begged to be read. It ended up narrowly winning the whole contest. It was only one of HR's numerous and indelible contributions to MYM 5, but Spadefox left not long after it, after a string of nasty arguments that resulted in him simply throwing up his arms and walking away.
After a tumultuous relationship with MYM that involved getting appointed and later booted from the authority figures, Chris redeemed himself with a moveset that took everyone by surprise. Arthas was the first "summons" character, and his mechanic was so simple - but so interesting - that Arthas rode the wave all the way to the Top 50, much later. The fact that he didn't quite make Top 10 is an injustice that can only be explained by how early he was posted. Chris would make many other excellent MYM 5 movesets, and handily regained his spot among the authorities.
HR's most popular moveset of the contest after Acid Seaforce (see above), this trap-based character revolves around turning the stage into a circus sideshow, and a real nightmare for any foe. His creativity and significance can't be overstated; he was one of the movesets that prodded forth the playstyle movement (see Alphonse).
MasterWarlord, who turned in a number of fascinating movesets in MYM 4 - none of which stood out from the others in any significant way - and a number more in early MYM 5, eventually came out with this beast, whose unique concept and truth to the source material is almost unparallelled. This moveset embodies a rapidly emerging trend in movesets; the focus on an overall feel, a flow to the character's attacks, over the creativity of individual attacks. This "playstyle movement" would permanently change the way movesets were made and evaluated, and rather like the detail movement of late MYM 3.0 and MYM 4, was spearheaded by Warlord.
Sakurai is as random as movesets get, spitting in the face of the playstyle movement and getting away with it. His creator, Sundance, a well-liked MYMer regularly voted as Funniest Poster, pulled out every trick in his bag of tricks for a moveset that is more "Meme Man" than Masahiro Sakurai himself. This one deserves special recognition, if only for being as enjoyable an experience as any other moveset ever made.
Along with Lemmy Koopa (see above) and The Kid (from agidius), Metal Man is often considered one of the old trap classics. Plorf's emphasis on detail and extras sets him apart from the more streamlined mood of MYM 5, but his truth to the subject matter and developped playstyle kept him from being coined a relic. A relatively new addition to MYM, he proved a famous procrastinator; SirKibble agreed to work on a joint set with him just to get him to start working and thinking. The result was Heat Man, and indeed, Metal Man followed soon after.
Soon after Ryuk, Warlord posted his most popular moveset yet, the mighty Alphonse. With myriad move interactions and the definitive playstyle, he was an easy favorite to win the whole contest, but ultimately placed third, marking Warlord's worst showing in an MYM yet, as he had placed second in both MYM 3.0 and 4 - however, he lost here by a single vote in the tight top 10, making this in point of fact the closest he has ever come to victory. Al remains one of his best works and one of the most stimulating movesets ever made.
After his win in MYM 4, K.Rool almost rendered Kawasaki obsolete with several lauded movesets, the most popular of which was Miracle Matter, who had an easily imagined (if difficultly put into use) mechanic that involved the use of all his forms, just as in the eponymous boss battle. Each form - including a fireball, an ice cube, and a rock - has an unusual and creative playstyle.
Tanookie emerged as one of the strongest newcomers of MYM 4 and quickly secured a place among the leadership for his interesting and varied Castlevania movesets. Hypno proved one of his few MYM 5 movesets, but was acclaimed for his relative simplicity while still maintaining a distinct and clear playstyle. He also boasts brilliant, appealing organization.
Smash Daddy had been sporadically present, commenting and reading movesets, since MYM 3.0, but he had only posted one set in each contest, a trend which continued with Raiden, who was posted as MYM 5 was drawing a close. He took everybody aback by showing off a monumental amount of improvement, and Raiden was unique in his off-the-wall organization, his professional writing style, his heavy, exhaustive detail, and his choose-your-weapon playstyle. He ended up tying with Acid Seaforce for the champion's crown, but was then narrowly chosen to place second by the Sins (the authorities at the time).
Junahu gave his finest outing since Donna and proved that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon when he surprised everyone with this OC. All agree that she has wonderful organization - a hallmark of Junahu's work - but after that, opinions are divided. Cutesy has attracted a devoted cult following based on her flowing playstyle, unique conception, and choice to emphasize a smooth implementation into Smash over complex standards. Definitely worth a read, if only to see what side you stand on.
As in MYM 3.0 with The Headless Horseman, KingK.Rool slipped in the last moveset of the contest, but this one came with no fanfare and little celebration. However, in retrospect, it's regarded by many as one of K.Rool's best, implementing a thieving mechanic and showing off light detail, powerful organization, and a strong emphasis on playstyle. It's no milestone, but its popularity and high place in the Top 50, while other movesets were lost in the last-day shuffle, stands testament to its effectiveness.
The end of MYM 5 signalled another major loss, as SirKibble, legend since MYM 2.0, leader of MYM 4, friend and advisor to all, was forced to leave MYM - and all computer access - for a period of two years. MYM Man, his final solitary moveset, was his testament to the community, and incorporated many of the memes and trends of MYM in ingenious attacks. Although the overall quality of Kibble's movesets in MYM 5 was not quite up to par with his golden age in MYM 4, he remained one of the Big 3 right up until his departure.
|| MYM 6 ||
Kupa had been putting in incredibly solid works ever since MYM 2, his notorious tendancies to overcomplicate and follow in the footsteps of his mentor MasterWarlord growing ever more famous, but it wasn't until this remake of an MYM 4 moveset that he finally broke through as one of the major MYMers. Hades has a mechanic that feels tacked-on but everything else about him is superb, from his balance right down to his organizational quirks.
Vaati is a moveset with incredible organization above all else - this is something SkylerOcon, the only mod to ever become a regular in MYM (although he technically was an MYMer first and a mod second), has always emphasized in his movesets. Vaati is also distinctive in how he shows off Ocon's philosophy: less is more and the best playstyles are those that could be slipped right into Brawl without skipping a beat.
With Sloth, Warlord showed just how much he intended to push playstyle. Almost every attack in Sloth's moveset is specifically meant to interact with at least one other attack, making a brilliant jigsaw puzzle and a stimulating thought experience. Individual move creativity has finally been cast aside in favor of the bigger picture, and Warlord seems prepared to push MYM forcefully into a whole new age of playstyle and detail.