Link to original post: [drupal=608]The Why Of Low Tiers[/drupal]
There has always been a question that always gets asked that always gets answered without ever really being answered. If that sentence confuses you, let me explain it more clearly. One question that is always asked is "Why do you main low/bottom tier?" Its rarely a question to specific players so the answer is rarely the same but there seems to be some major reasons that the majority of low tier players chose who they do. What I hope to explain is why we do what we do, why we pick who we pick, why we put ourselves at that disadvantage and why its entirely possible to play a low tier and still be a tier *****.
Two of the largest camps of low tier players are the "For fun" and "Because I like them" camps. Players that fall into these categories rarely care about winning and simply play who they play because they enjoy it. I myself have alot of fun playing characters like Ness and G&W in Melee and Jigglypuff in Brawl, simply because they're different and quite fun. If I win or if I don't doesn't matter because Im enjoying the character Im playing as. People who go to tournaments and play as these characters rarely expect to win, but also rarely care as they are simply enjoying the competition as a character they enjoy. There's also the "Because I like them" camp, which is similar, but still different. Many of these players chose the characters while completely disregarding their tier rank or potential. They chose the character they chose because they have always loved that character. This is how I came about choosing Kirby in Smash Bros. 64, because he was just the character I liked the most. Many chose their mains before knowing their standings in the tier list. Those who love Fox luck out, those who love Bowser(lol Gimpy) have to make the choice between sticking with the character they love or.....winning. This is where the odd juxtaposition of mindsets comes into play. On the one hand, you have the competitive "Play to win" mindset, the idea that you should do anything to win(within reason) but also that you will stay entirely devoted to a character that you know puts you at a great disadvantage. This usually leads to a "Do anything I can to win with a character that CAN'T win" mentality. This is usually a positive thing though, as its the thing that pushes low tier players to advance the metagame of their character beyond simple attack spamming.
The other two camps are usually looked down upon, especially by other low tier mains. These two camps answer the question of "Why play low tier" with the stereotypical "X isn't as bad as you think and I'll prove everyone wrong" and the far more pathetic "For recognition." If you play a low tier character because you love that character, thats great, but do not for a second assume that you will ever prove that character does not suck. The level of suck any given character has in Smash is pretty much determined before the game even comes out. A good character will always be good, a bad character will always be bad, if you can not accept the limitations and drawbacks of your character you will never be able to advance. You will never prove your character doesn't suck. Gimpy didn't make Bowser not suck, Taj did not make Mewtwo a good character, Simna did not make Ness top tier but thats because Ness has always been top tier, he didn't need Simna's help. As for the forth camp, this one is by far the worst. Any player who would willingly put themselves at a disadvantage simply for recognition is an attention *****. Anyone who chooses a low tier character simply because of their placement on the tier list is a tier *****. The only difference between a Top Tier ***** and a Low Tier ***** is that a Top Tier ***** is just doing whatever they can to win(usually a good thing if you're not willing to waste large amounts of money just for the chance to lose) and a low tier ***** simply chooses who they chose so they can feel special.
On a bit of a side note, I would like to point out that there is no rule that you can ONLY play one character. Its entirely possible to main a low tier character and a high tier character at the same time, and it may even be useful to have a low tier character up your sleeve as many players do not know how to properly counter a low tier character and it can help you gain a surprise win.
Inb4 Tiers Don Exits.
Edit: Those series of "*****'s" is the word "Wh0re"
There has always been a question that always gets asked that always gets answered without ever really being answered. If that sentence confuses you, let me explain it more clearly. One question that is always asked is "Why do you main low/bottom tier?" Its rarely a question to specific players so the answer is rarely the same but there seems to be some major reasons that the majority of low tier players chose who they do. What I hope to explain is why we do what we do, why we pick who we pick, why we put ourselves at that disadvantage and why its entirely possible to play a low tier and still be a tier *****.
Two of the largest camps of low tier players are the "For fun" and "Because I like them" camps. Players that fall into these categories rarely care about winning and simply play who they play because they enjoy it. I myself have alot of fun playing characters like Ness and G&W in Melee and Jigglypuff in Brawl, simply because they're different and quite fun. If I win or if I don't doesn't matter because Im enjoying the character Im playing as. People who go to tournaments and play as these characters rarely expect to win, but also rarely care as they are simply enjoying the competition as a character they enjoy. There's also the "Because I like them" camp, which is similar, but still different. Many of these players chose the characters while completely disregarding their tier rank or potential. They chose the character they chose because they have always loved that character. This is how I came about choosing Kirby in Smash Bros. 64, because he was just the character I liked the most. Many chose their mains before knowing their standings in the tier list. Those who love Fox luck out, those who love Bowser(lol Gimpy) have to make the choice between sticking with the character they love or.....winning. This is where the odd juxtaposition of mindsets comes into play. On the one hand, you have the competitive "Play to win" mindset, the idea that you should do anything to win(within reason) but also that you will stay entirely devoted to a character that you know puts you at a great disadvantage. This usually leads to a "Do anything I can to win with a character that CAN'T win" mentality. This is usually a positive thing though, as its the thing that pushes low tier players to advance the metagame of their character beyond simple attack spamming.
The other two camps are usually looked down upon, especially by other low tier mains. These two camps answer the question of "Why play low tier" with the stereotypical "X isn't as bad as you think and I'll prove everyone wrong" and the far more pathetic "For recognition." If you play a low tier character because you love that character, thats great, but do not for a second assume that you will ever prove that character does not suck. The level of suck any given character has in Smash is pretty much determined before the game even comes out. A good character will always be good, a bad character will always be bad, if you can not accept the limitations and drawbacks of your character you will never be able to advance. You will never prove your character doesn't suck. Gimpy didn't make Bowser not suck, Taj did not make Mewtwo a good character, Simna did not make Ness top tier but thats because Ness has always been top tier, he didn't need Simna's help. As for the forth camp, this one is by far the worst. Any player who would willingly put themselves at a disadvantage simply for recognition is an attention *****. Anyone who chooses a low tier character simply because of their placement on the tier list is a tier *****. The only difference between a Top Tier ***** and a Low Tier ***** is that a Top Tier ***** is just doing whatever they can to win(usually a good thing if you're not willing to waste large amounts of money just for the chance to lose) and a low tier ***** simply chooses who they chose so they can feel special.
On a bit of a side note, I would like to point out that there is no rule that you can ONLY play one character. Its entirely possible to main a low tier character and a high tier character at the same time, and it may even be useful to have a low tier character up your sleeve as many players do not know how to properly counter a low tier character and it can help you gain a surprise win.
Inb4 Tiers Don Exits.
Edit: Those series of "*****'s" is the word "Wh0re"
