
+1 Could honestly be high tier, even higher than Pikachu.
Ehh... This would be sooooo nice, but at the moment, I can't quite see it (this is coming from a Marth main). I think, with a couple more results, then we can maybe start talking about that.
Marth is undoubtedly tons better after all of his buffs, which people seem to forget. Marth if you ask me, is one of those characters that people sleep on. They assume he's overall average, but when faced against a good Marth, it quite clearly shows he's a very capable and viable character. Marth excels more than most sword characters of similar archetype IMO, because he can do defence. Defence in Smash 4 is very important, and other general sword players like Ike and Roy can excel in offence, but have little to show of defensive play (I will just point out that Ike is tons better than Roy though, don't think I am grouping them together). Marth still has offensive options and combos, but his ability to play much safer than almost all other sword characters is what sets him apart. Marth also has one of the best edge guarding games in the entire game, which can shut lots of characters down the moment they get off stage when played correctly.
Another plus point for Marth is that in reality, he doesn’t have trouble with many top or higher tier characters at all. The only characters in the higher tiers who should give Marth trouble are Ryu, Pikachu, and Bayonetta. There is enough evidence out there already to prove that these characters give Marth a rough time. While characters Sonic and Meta Knight can give Marth trouble and should also beat him, Marth has a few answers to their stuff, or has stuff they must watch out for. However, against all other characters like Sheik, ZSS, Rosalina, Cloud, Fox etc, those matchups are petty even, and are not matchups that Marth shouldn't have trouble in or worry about, because he can handle them all. Marth is even a good counter pick to some higher tier characters, such as Mario.
Overall, Marth's matchup spread is pretty solid overall. I can honestly say he loses to/should lose to only Ryu, Pikachu, Bayonetta, Sonic, Meta Knight and potentially Dedede – that’s it. There are some matchups that can swing both ways, like Mewtwo, Falcon, Mac, Yoshi and Diddy, but Marth CAN handle these characters, and beats or goes even with every other matchup in the game.
So, while I am not disagreeing with your Marth up vote, because there is enough evidence out there to support it, I can’t see him as high as Pikachu unless we start getting solid consistent results like he has recently been getting. I could see him around the area of Ike, however.