Hold on, hold on, that's a bit of an exaggeration. While I definitely agree ZSS starts to hit her stride in this range and everything she does is easier to execute, we actually have very respectable combos and tech chases within the 45 - 120 range.
If you haven't seen my Samus combo video yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc4TQd5rGes
Past 45% the simple up-tilt -> CS or up-B and d-air -> CS or up-B are very damaging and can kill.
Up-air to d-air, up-air to CS I still struggle to land in game but they are non-techable.
All the super-missile -> CS cannot be teched and are very effective kill combos.
I think @
Afro Smash
and @
KayJay are the only ones with sufficiently good frame perfect RAR to pull off a d-throw -> RAR b-air combo with any reliability.
N-air produces charge shot tech chases in that range, z-air does as well at the high end. F-tilt was nerfed but still works reliably out of a pivot to tech chase at the kill percent. Even jab2 and ledge and getup attack against fast fallers.
Sourspot up-air -> jab -> cancel -> f-smash I don't think anyone is yet proficient enough to use in game but it definitely sweet spot kills circa 100.
At very high % there are a bunch of z-air, jab and sour-spot kill combos out of f-smash and up-B which basically trade getting a short fast hit in for the big finisher.
None of us are any good at this sort of detailed play right now, even the best Samus players I know of are still fragmented in their arsenal of options the character is technically capable of, good at some things but not others (myself definitely included), so that's why I'm still withholding judgement on the whole of the character and remain overall positive. I still struggle with basic things like picking the right reactive option out of a SH-AD, n-air, b-air, up-air or cancel into z-air. My skill is just not there yet. Above and beyond Sakurai simply trolling us, I would love to sit him down and ask "Why? Why is it so damn complicated? Did you do this on purpose?". Again, I'm not sure (there might be violence in that encounter...). The ZSS stuff, it's obviously intentional.
I fully agree @
Octavium that ZSS has subtleties to her, and I don't want to diminish efforts of great players. The ZSS gameplay is now at the level of optimization from your description, we're still literally figuring things out, optimization is still on the horizon.
For my own trivia can you guys please provide links to the following:
@
SpandexBullets
"In that regard, Zero confirmed afterwards that they actually meant ZSS"
@
Squaddle
"If you look at early gameplay videos, she used to have relentless missiles as her default missile, which are really, REALLY good, and I believe she used to have her old sexkick nair."
If not, no worries, but I'd love to see some additional evidence for this for my own curiosity.