Serpit
Smash Journeyman
I don't care if that's a word or not. It's just that the so-called clones of Brawl can be ranked according to the various degrees of resemblance to their originals. Some of them have more in common, some less. The common term "luigified" seems to universal to be applied here.
Also note that clones are NOT defined by special moves alone. Melee clones were clones because they had the same attack ANIMATIONS, even though they had different effects, knockback and some fashionable effects like fire. So for this list, I'll also consider attack animations, but the concept of the attack as well.
First Tier: "So called Clones"
1.Toon Link - The only really different attacks seem to be his Back Air, Neutral Air and up-Smash, and the way his Down Air works. His attacks are almost the same as Link's, and he doesn't really differ from Melee's Young Link except for his cartoonish look. This is the only character that could actually be called a clone in my opinion, but he's still a bit more different than the Melee clones.
Second Tier: "Luigified"
2.Falco - He gets a new Down B, a throwable reflector, which really differs from Fox'. His Forward Smash, Forward Air and Neutral A combo get completely revamped as well. Those alterations make him more akin to Luigi in Melee, as it's quite a bit of a different moveset now.
3.Ganondorf - He still resembles Captain Falcon, but not as much. His Warlock Punch gets a new animation, his Up B gets changed a bit, and his down B has a different effect now. Also, his Up Smash and Forward Tilt (Leonidas Kick) are changed, among other minor wteak in moveset and animation. Also, unique Final Smash.
Third Tier: "Special Move Thieves"
4.Lucas - His special moves are pretty much the same as Ness'. However, all of them have slightly changed effects and sometimes animations. The Lucas profile on the Dojo shows this. Where Ness and Lucas really differs is the rest of their movesets: The Forward Smash is similar, the rest is completely different. Lucas has a very unique A moveset, a different grab, and tether recovery. This, together with the changes in their specials, sets Lucas more apart from his original than the 3 characters mentioned before.
5.Wolf - It's a similar case as with Lucas here: The special moves look a lot like Fox', but the effects are different. However, Wolf has nearly completely new animations, so while his Specials resemble Fox', they were changed more than Lucas'. In addition to that, Wolf has completely unique standard moveset and new throws. He resembles Fox a lot less than Falco does and feels similar to Lucas in that way.
Fourth Tier: "They shouldn't even be on this list"
6.Luigi - It should be pretty obvious: Luigi already was different than Mario in Melee and the original "luigified" clone, but now he's been changed even more. They no longer share the same Down Special and they have vastly different Final Smashes. Luigi is way more than "luigified" now, ironically.
7.Lucario - Despite what many people will tell you, there are a few similarities between Lucario and Melee's Mewtwo. However, they aren't even close to being numerable enough tow arrant calling Lucario a clone. His Aura Sphere is similar, the rest of his special moveset isn't. Dash Attack and a few smashes have similar animations as well, but that's it.
8.Ike - Blue hair? Sword user? Obviously a clone! Well, he really isn't. Aside from those two similarities and the fact that Ike and Marth share a Down B counter and a Neutral B chageable move, they are nothing alike.
Also note that clones are NOT defined by special moves alone. Melee clones were clones because they had the same attack ANIMATIONS, even though they had different effects, knockback and some fashionable effects like fire. So for this list, I'll also consider attack animations, but the concept of the attack as well.
First Tier: "So called Clones"
1.Toon Link - The only really different attacks seem to be his Back Air, Neutral Air and up-Smash, and the way his Down Air works. His attacks are almost the same as Link's, and he doesn't really differ from Melee's Young Link except for his cartoonish look. This is the only character that could actually be called a clone in my opinion, but he's still a bit more different than the Melee clones.
Second Tier: "Luigified"
2.Falco - He gets a new Down B, a throwable reflector, which really differs from Fox'. His Forward Smash, Forward Air and Neutral A combo get completely revamped as well. Those alterations make him more akin to Luigi in Melee, as it's quite a bit of a different moveset now.
3.Ganondorf - He still resembles Captain Falcon, but not as much. His Warlock Punch gets a new animation, his Up B gets changed a bit, and his down B has a different effect now. Also, his Up Smash and Forward Tilt (Leonidas Kick) are changed, among other minor wteak in moveset and animation. Also, unique Final Smash.
Third Tier: "Special Move Thieves"
4.Lucas - His special moves are pretty much the same as Ness'. However, all of them have slightly changed effects and sometimes animations. The Lucas profile on the Dojo shows this. Where Ness and Lucas really differs is the rest of their movesets: The Forward Smash is similar, the rest is completely different. Lucas has a very unique A moveset, a different grab, and tether recovery. This, together with the changes in their specials, sets Lucas more apart from his original than the 3 characters mentioned before.
5.Wolf - It's a similar case as with Lucas here: The special moves look a lot like Fox', but the effects are different. However, Wolf has nearly completely new animations, so while his Specials resemble Fox', they were changed more than Lucas'. In addition to that, Wolf has completely unique standard moveset and new throws. He resembles Fox a lot less than Falco does and feels similar to Lucas in that way.
Fourth Tier: "They shouldn't even be on this list"
6.Luigi - It should be pretty obvious: Luigi already was different than Mario in Melee and the original "luigified" clone, but now he's been changed even more. They no longer share the same Down Special and they have vastly different Final Smashes. Luigi is way more than "luigified" now, ironically.
7.Lucario - Despite what many people will tell you, there are a few similarities between Lucario and Melee's Mewtwo. However, they aren't even close to being numerable enough tow arrant calling Lucario a clone. His Aura Sphere is similar, the rest of his special moveset isn't. Dash Attack and a few smashes have similar animations as well, but that's it.
8.Ike - Blue hair? Sword user? Obviously a clone! Well, he really isn't. Aside from those two similarities and the fact that Ike and Marth share a Down B counter and a Neutral B chageable move, they are nothing alike.
