Metagame

:"Meta" redirects here. For the Chilean Snake player, see Smasher:Meta.
: For the Chilean Ridley player, see Smasher:Meta (Los Ríos).
: For the documentary, see Metagame (documentary).
The metagame refers to the collective decisions and circumstances made outside of a game that affect tournaments and other competitive play. A metagame is said to have a "shape" or "state" which refers to the commonly employed practices and strategies in tournaments. In the Super Smash Bros. series, the most basic decisions that give form to the metagame are the player's decisions on what characters to use and what stages to practice on. More complex decisions include deciding on what character and stage combinations will counter the most popular characters and styles.
Metagames tend to continuously evolve based on experimentation over time and changes made to the format, either collectively agreed upon by the community or by direct intervention from the developers. Some games have a metagame that stops evolving, usually by the players finding a perfect strategy to win every time. This means the game is "solved", and competitors may start to find the game boring and tournaments will suffer a lower turnout. An example of this is in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where one of the commonly cited reasons to ban from tournament play is the frustration he causes among competitors because of his overwhelming dominance in Brawl tournament results, as well as his overuse as a main, bringing the community dangerously close to solving the game. This means that an evolving metagame is the sign of a healthy community.
Decisions that form the metagame generally do not include those on what should be tournament legal, although each usually influences the other. For example, what stages are legal may greatly influence character viability. Stage lists that do not include stage hazards that hinder less mobile characters, such as the panning camera and obstacles on Rainbow Cruise, may produce tournament results that include more characters that are less agile. If the stage list includes Onett, which greatly favors and in Melee, it may lead to greater use of those characters.
Different levels of skill may feature their own metagame state because the viability of different strategies and decisions depends on how deft and knowledgeable the opponents are, such as in knowledge of advanced technique and technical skill. For example, in Melee may be considered one of the worst characters in the game by less experienced players because of their inability to properly exploit its overpowering aerial game and successfully land Rest, as well as the fact that it is KO'd extremely early, making it very difficult for inexperienced players who can't evade properly to survive for long with it. Conversely, in Brawl is considered just a middle tier character by more experienced players because his very slow attacks and inability to handle opposing camping well make it difficult for him to compete with high tier characters, while less experienced players tend to consider Ike extremely overpowered because their lack of knowledge on how to exploit his slowness and own slower reflexes leads to them getting easily hit and KO'd very early by Ike's extremely powerful attacks.
Routine analysis of the metagame has allowed the community to draw conclusions about the relative performances of playable characters in Smash Bros. games, and publish them in the form of character tier lists. Each tier list evolves alongside the development of the metagame it references, and is updated as significant changes occur.
==Examples of changing metagames in the Smash series==
===Super Smash Bros.===
*For a long time, was considered one of the best characters in the original Smash Bros., being ranked 3rd in the final spot of top tier in the first universally recognised tier list. Ness dominated, with his double jump cancelled aerials allowing very fast combo starters and deadly combos (able to rack up huge damage and finish with a down aerial meteor smash), while also possessing some of best hitbox placements in his attacks, and great power in his moveset (with his throws being especially powerful). As the metagame progressed, however, Ness' extremely sub-par recovery became more prominent and exploitable, and his short range also caused his DJC combos to lose recognition. This led to him dropping from 3rd all the way to 8th in the second tier list, dropping again to 9th in the third list, and dropping once more to 10th the fourth (and current) tier list. This is also currently the proportionally largest tier list drop of any character in any Smash Bros. game.
* was considered one of the worst characters in the original Smash Bros. for many years. The main reasons were due to her poor tournament representation, poor matchups, and being the only character in the game who couldn't pull off a zero-to-death combo. For these reasons, she has been in bottom tier for three tier lists straight; in the first list, she is behind only , and she is last on the next two. This left Samus with a negative reputation as being an unplayable character. However, over the years, Samus' metagame advanced, and her placings in tournaments had steadily began to rise. On the current tier list, she is at the top of C tier, where she is no longer seen contesting for worst character in the game.
===Super Smash Bros. Melee===
* was initially seen as relying too heavily on C-stick spamming and roll dodging, traits that led to a negative low-level image of him despite a high tier placing. , however, is often credited with single-handedly bringing him to a top tier level of the tier list, particularly with the introduction of tactics such as dash dancing and utilizing wavedashing, as well as a greater focus on aerial combat in matches (including innovating the infamous Ken combo).
* was initially a middle tier character, being ranked 15th on the first tier list tied with . With the discovery and innovation of Falcon's potent aerial and combo potential, as well as how deadly and effective his Knee Smash was as a combo finisher, he jumped up the tier list to high tier; he has since perpetually hovered around the top-high tiers, and is 6th on the current tier list.
* was initially a lower middle tier character, being ranked 17th on the first tier list, tied with ; it then jumped up to middle tier, and hovered around the 8th-11th spot in middle/high tier from the 2nd tier list to the 8th. The advent of , who has shown how dominant Jigglypuff was in the air, and how powerful its pressure game and combo abilities were, saw Jigglypuff jump to high tier at 6th, tied with Captain Falcon. Eventually, with the continued dominance of Melee tournaments with Jigglypuff from Mango and the rise of another nationally dominant Jigglypuff player in , Jigglypuff jumped up to top tier in the 10th tier list, being ranked 3rd under and , and it is also ranked 3rd in the current tier list under Fox and Marth.
* was initially a high tier character, being ranked as high as 5th in the first tier list, which can be attributed to his relatively low learning curve and simple yet effective combos. As the metagame advanced, the discovered abilities of other characters surpassed the rather standard abilities of Mario, and his rather low KO power became more problematic. This led to Mario gradually dropping with each tier list, reaching a low of 15th in the low-mid tier in the most recent tier list, and his clone being recognized as the superior character (on the most recent tier list, Dr. Mario is two spots higher than Mario), primarily in part due to his much superior KO power.
*For the first five years of Melees existence, was considered well and beyond the best character (with her chain throw being especially powerful in the early metagame), and at some points, she was considered so good that players contemplated banning her. With the incredible potential of and being recognized, as well as the aforementioned surges of Marth and Jigglypuff, Sheik was later dethroned as the best character in Melee. Despite her fall, she's still seen as one of the best characters, and is currently ranked 5th in the top tier in the most recent tier list.
*'s all-time low on the tier list was 18th on the eighth tier list, barely close to the bottom tier. However, 's dominance made opinions change more positively about Pikachu, as it has shown its effective KOing moves, edge-guarding game, and pressuring were powerful, even against some high tiers. Pikachu eventually rose in the tier list, now ranked 9th in the current tier list.
*The were initially considered mid-to-low-tier characters due to their sub-par aerial game and the crippling weaknesses acquired when playing Sopo. However, thanks to the contributions of and , as well as the popularisation of desynching and wobbling, the Ice Climbers now sit around 8th place on more recent tier lists.
*For a while, was considered a low-tier character at best due to his mediocre movement, limited OoS options, and abysmal recovery. However, innovations from during the 2010s, especially in regards to Yoshi's double-jump super armor, parry, great aerial and combo game, and potentially potent projectile in his Egg Throw, drastically improved Yoshi's viability and perception in the community. As such, Yoshi rose greatly in subsequent tier lists, and is currently ranked 10th on the thirteenth tier list. Even with this rise, there have been calls for him to rise even further, especially after aMSa won and other majors in the final months of 2022.
*In early tier lists, was considered a low-tier character due to his large hurtbox and high falling speed, which made him vulnerable to combos and being hit in general. Donkey Kong began rising in the tier lists in the mid-2000s as players became aware of his strong air and grab games, while performances from other dedicated mains in the 2010s such as and allowed Donkey Kong to maintain his tier placement for the next decade. However, it wasn't until the post-Project Slippi era when Donkey Kong saw a true renaissance, with the efforts of many Donkey Kong players such as , , and placing highly at events and even ranking in the top 50. As such, most players agree that Donkey Kong's current placement on the tier list -- 16th as of the thirteenth tier list -- was no longer accurate.
===Super Smash Bros. Brawl===
*Among the best-known changes of the metagame for Brawl came with the growing dominance of . While Meta Knight was always recognized as the best character since the first tier list, the gap between him and the rest of the characters has continued to grow. Amid his unmatched speed, transcendent priority, disproportionally long reaching hitboxes, surprisingly high KO power for a character of his speed and weight, possessing a recovery that is widely seen as unstoppable, and unrivaled edge guarding and gimping abilities, Meta Knight is widely seen as a broken character in the metagame. is the only other character that has a matchup considered even with Meta Knight, but even this is debatable, with many believing that Meta Knight's matchup with Pikachu is also in the former's favor. The metagame for Brawl has been criticized for becoming too centralized on Meta Knight, which became the driving point behind those pushing to ban him from tournaments. A significant part of a character's tier placement is based on their matchup against Meta Knight, and characters such as Pit and R.O.B. fell because of their inability to deal with him. The use of Meta Knight himself also came under scrutiny, particularly after , where 5 players out of the final 8 used Meta Knight, and when began documenting the amount of money each character won from tournaments, which showed that Meta Knight wins around half the money won from tournaments.
* is often credited with bringing from a high tier character into the top tiers, eventually usurping the long-time number two character by the sixth tier list, and now ranking 4th on the current tier list; ADHD had used Banana Peels to an extent never seen before, causing Diddy Kong to quickly dominate the ground game in matches, which some observers claimed led to him having an even stronger control of the ground than Snake.
* was initially a middle tier character, being ranked 25th in middle tier on the first tier list. As the game advanced, however, Ike gradually kept declining, with many deriding him as a "noob character" who was far too slow to do anything worthwhile. Ike fell to low tier in the fourth tier list at 29th, and many speculated that he would fall further and get stuck in the bottom tiers. , however, caused an immediate reversal for the character by innovating use of his incredible jab and jab cancelling abilities, as well as utilization of his surprisingly potent aerial attacks and incredible reach for good spacing. San shocked the community when he got 9th at , which was then the most prestigious Brawl national tournament, defeating several top players such as and , using the then-low tier Ike. Ike saw a jump back into the middle tiers, an increase in general respect towards the character, and even surpassed his original tier placement, currently ranking 23rd. Today, Ike is a stable middle tier character who, despite some still seeing in a negative light due to his past perception, still manages to do damage in tournaments, such as getting 5th at a national tournament, (although it was MK-banned).
* was initially a low tier character who was the butt of many derogatory jokes, being ranked as low as 33rd in the first tier list. He was ridiculed for his terrible KOing power, as well as his poor moveset, his poor range, and perceived "low priority" (as his attacks had small or poor hitboxes). Dedicated players of Sonic, however, became dead-set on proving that he was criminally underrated, and this saw the advent of extreme exploitation of his unmatched movement and unrealized combo potential. Sonic players started placing well beyond that of low tier characters at tournaments, and Sonic's capabilities were recognized when he jumped up to 23rd of middle tier in the third tier list. Sonic was beginning to decline after this jump, but the Sonic players and then made another major splash with him, when they took 5th and 6th respectively at the final MLG Brawl event, . Like Ike, Sonic still gets seen in a negative light by some players, but he's a stable middle tier character who is currently ranked 22nd.
* was initially a middle tier character, ranked 18th on the first tier list, who many did not think much of. However, as the metagame advanced, Olimar players began overcoming his extreme learning curve, and showed his incredibly strong camping and damage-racking capabilities, as well as his very favorable hitboxes and disproportionally high KOing power. Olimar hovered around high tier in the 8th to 10th spot for the next few years, but after years of Olimar players doing very well at nationals (including Japanese Olimar players and taking second at and respectively), he was finally placed in top tier, in the number two position. While most players see Olimar as being ranked a bit too high, he's seen as a top tier character with an infamous reputation for being a highly frustrating character to fight for many players. He is now 3rd in the current tier list.
* was initially a high tier character ranked 16th on the first tier list, who then saw a large drop and hovered around the 22nd spot in middle tier for the next few years. Wolf was derided for his extreme vulnerability to chain throws (some of which were infinites and zero deaths), as well as possessing what many saw to be a poor recovery, and some even saw him as a low tier character. Around 2010, Wolf players started doing well in tournaments, making full utilization of Wolf's strong movement, aerial capabilities, and general strong all-around abilities ( was noted for being one of the most dominant players in the American Midwest). Wolf was also discovered to have one of the best matchups against the overly dominant Meta Knight (as well as near-even to even matchups against all the other top tier characters), and to have strong matchups overall outside the few who could severely exploit his chain throw vulnerability. Wolf's abilities were finally recognized in the sixth tier list, where he jumped up to 16th near the top of middle tier, and after a banner year in 2011, when he was the 10th most successful character in tournaments (in total tournament earnings), his tier placing improved even further in the most recent tier list to 14th in upper-mid tier.
* was initially considered a top tier character, being ranked 6th in top tier on the first tier list. He was dominant in the very early metagame, as his fast attacks with great hitboxes were difficult for the then-inexperienced players to get by. As players became more experienced, they learned how to get through the blind spots of these attacks, as well as discover the greater potential of other characters. Meta Knight was also becoming more and more dominant, being the character who countered R.O.B. the most. As the metagame progressed, R.O.B. continued to grow less effective in tournament play, resulting in a large drop through the tier list, and is currently ranked 18th before the bottom of the upper-mid tier.
* was initially seen as a solid middle tier character, being ranked 20th in middle tier on the first tier list. As the metagame advanced, the severe flaws in Zelda's character design began to emerge (such as her poorly balanced moveset, her poor damage-racking capabilities, and her near inability to approach). Zelda began gradually dropping with each tier list, and with the fourth tier list, she took a dive and fell all the way to bottom tier at 35th. Zelda's standing in competitive play has gotten even worse since then, as she has been ranked the second worst character in each successive tier list just above , and some players even believe Zelda is the worst character, rather than Ganondorf.
===Super Smash Bros. 4===
Being the first game in the series to be split between two consoles, routinely introduce balance patches, and add new characters via DLC, the metagame of Super Smash Bros. 4 has shifted greatly by external influence. Examples include general perceptions of characters' strengths and weaknesses after updates.
* was once widely considered to be the best character in the game, mainly due to his Banana Peel, which granted him stage control and set-ups, and his infamous "hoo-hah" combo, with his down throw linking into his fast and powerful up aerial for easy KOs. The 1.0.6 patch brought several severe downgrades to Diddy's ability to perform this combo and decreased his general damage output, thus effectively dethroning him from this position. He was still, however, considered a high tier character thanks to his amazing neutral game, placing at 9th on the tier list, being among the most dominant characters in play in spite of his nerfs, and as of update 1.1.5, Diddy Kong has regained his spot as one of the best characters in the game, being ranked 1st on the second official tier list with the significant nerfs to those believed to be better than him.
* was considered by some to be one of the best characters in the game prior to the Wii U version's release, due to his superior strength, weight, and surprisingly quick attacks. This was due to players' inexperience, as well as the 3DS controls being less apt in general for high-level play, thus favoring characters with better raw stats. It was not long after the Wii U release that Bowser's weaknesses really began to show through, notably his abysmal landing options and inconsistent KOing ability. His perception thus declined sharply, now placing roughly in the middle tier, which is likely because of version 1.1.3, in which Bowser received a powerful combo tool by greatly reducing knockback dealt by his up throw, allowing him to rack up damage and KO opponents with greater safety and consistency, which made his play style overall more rewarding.
*, obviously heavily nerfed from his dominance in Brawl, was initially considered to be a shadow of his former self, and was generally considered unviable, with commonly given reasons being his short range and weak KOing ability (the latter of which is considered moot now). However, due largely to new strategies developed with him, most notably the optimization of his devastating up aerial combos, and along with significant patch buffs, he rose back up to prominence, currently placing high in the tier list, and while not nearly as dominant as in Brawl, he eventually earned his status as one of the best characters in the game. After receiving nerfs to his infamous up aerial in update 1.1.5, opinions on Meta Knight have begun to fall again, with him no longer being among the best characters in the community's view, though he is still regarded more highly than he was in the early metagame. 
* was a very prominent character in low- and mid-level play, largely thanks to his effective projectile and his down throw, the latter of which led into highly damaging combos and guaranteed KO set-ups, and he was further aided by balance patches for a while. However, updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 nerfed him; the former patch increased the lag on his Fireballs, while the latter patch more importantly increased the knockback on his down throw, removing his KO set-ups, and the shield stun changes brought about by the same update hindered him due to his very poor traction. He went on to be ranked at 16th on the official tier list, in upper-mid tier, whereas he was considered a contender for top 10 prior to his nerfs. As of version 1.1.6 and the second official tier list, he is ranked 29th, but has risen to 18th on the fourth tier list.
*, for more than a year, was regarded rather poorly due to heavy nerfs coming from Brawl, which included his shorter reach relative to the cast, slower frame data (particular with his renowned forward aerial), worsened damage output, and much less effective grab combos. He eventually ranked at 41st on the tier list in low-tier, a huge drop from his placings in previous games. However, version 1.1.4 of Smash 4 gave Marth has been significant buffs in frame data, damage output, and range, and by version 1.1.6, Marth was considered a very potent top tier, especially with notable results from , , and . He is now 11th on the official tier list, tied with .
*Similar to Marth, was widely regarded as not just a poor character, but also inferior to Marth due to her lack of tippers. This led her to rank 47th on the first tier list as a bottom tier character. However, the aforementioned buffs that Marth received were also passed onto Lucina, and as such she rose greatly in subsequent tier lists, eventually rising to 14th on the most recent tier list as a high tier. In addition, Lucina was often used as a secondary by several top players, including and MkLeo, while saw great success while using her as a solo-main. As such, many players challenged the notion that Lucina was inferior to Marth, with some arguing that Lucina's consistency actually made her superior. This was reflected in the gap between her and Marth on the tier lists, which was 17 on the second tier list but only 3 on the most recent tier list.
* was a high tier and best sword-fighter in the eyes of many players (including ) at his release. This was largely because players would often draw comparisons between Roy and Marth, the latter of whom was surrounded by a negative stigma at the time, along with the notable buffs Roy received to his mobility, damage output, and power in the transition from Melee. However, Roy failed to attain notable results by the end of the game's height of activity, and opinions on him have steadily dropped. With stronger performances from other sword-fighters like Meta Knight, Ike, and Marth himself, and with the inclusion of Cloud and , Roy is perceived as a low-tier character, as is evident with his rank at 32nd on the tier list (which is generally considered too high), and to some, he is among the worst characters in the game, with the most commonly mentioned reasons being his unsafe attacks, limited combos, difficulty KOing, lackluster recovery, and vulnerability to combos. He fell to 50th place in the second tier list, and currently sits at 41st on the fourth and final tier list.
*Though initially viewed as a mid-tier, opinions on plummeted not long after its release, with many eventually regarding it as one of the worst characters in the game. Such negative opinions were generated mainly by its unusual combination of very low weight and large hurtbox, which made it highly susceptible to both combos and early KO's, its lack of a reliable combo throw, and its generally worsened frame data coming from Melee, along with Mewtwo being adversely affected by the loss of advanced techniques like wavedashing and L-cancelling. However, in updates 1.1.3 and 1.1.5, Mewtwo received a plethora of buffs to its mobility, frame data, range, and damage output, as well as a slight increase to its weight. Furthermore, it would gain strong results from its mains, with going as far as to win using mostly Mewtwo. Mewtwo's placement at 37th in the low tier of the tier list was partly a result of its previously poor status, and this is widely thought to be outdated in light of recent results. As of now, many players view Mewtwo as a high-tier character, with some believing it to be a top-tier, and with a few considering it as one of the best characters in the game. In retrospective, some players say Mewtwo's once poorly regarded status was too harsh, and that it was underrated as a whole. These players were eventually successful in their argument, as it is now 10th on the tier list.
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate===
*The early metagame favored fast, agile characters who either had disjoints and good reach or could overwhelm opponents, with notable examples being , , and . As such, competitive play during this period was often populated by these characters, with players such as , , and being some of the best players of this era. However, as the metagame progressed, it began shifting towards characters who required more patience to fight against due to having campy or touch-of-death playstyles, with notable examples being , , , and . This shift was attributed to the nerfs of the early metagame's top tier characters, as well as the impact of the online metagame during the COVID-19 pandemic, where not only were many of these slower playstyles first developed, but some of the best players of the post-online metagame, notably , , and , first became notable threats. This metagame shift was the most apparent by 2023, which saw MkLeo's decline and the rise of the Four Horsemen.
*Coming off the previous point, was initially seen as potentially one of the worst characters in the game, due to his best tools being weakened or removed from Smash 4, including his up aerial — removing his "Toot-Toot" KO confirm — his up smash having less invincibility frames, and a new forward aerial that lacked priority and was heavily punishable. As a result, his representation was initially worse than his already sub-par representation in Smash 4. However, players later discovered that Mr. Game & Watch's kit was actually incredibly strong, most notably possessing strong combo and juggling potential, with a neutral aerial that covers the area around him; an oppressive up aerial that lasts for a long time and allows him to act as soon as the hitboxes cease; a damage-racking tool at the ledge in Chef; his new forward aerial being very safe on shield, allowing him to easily punish opponents for shielding; safe and spammable smash attacks, including a down smash that can bury opponents; mostly low ending lag on his attacks; and the best out-of-shield option in the cast, Fire. These strengths were showcased extensively by in the early metagame, leading many to reassess Mr. Game & Watch as a top tier, which was reflected in his 18th place ranking on the first tier list. Following 's debut on the scene and his list of major victories in the post-pandemic metagame, Mr. Game & Watch's reputation grew even further, and as such he shot up to 3rd on the following tier list.
*Conversely, highlights the decline of several meta-relevant characters in the early metagame. Wolf especially was widely considered one of the best characters in the game, courtesy of a strong neutral game and advantage state, incredible combo game, and strong edgeguarding tools. As such, many players used him as a secondary or pocket character and Wolf regularly ranked amongst the most popular characters in competitive play. However, nerfs to some of his strongest moves, most notably down smash, alongside his weaknesses becoming more apparent, primarily his linear recovery and struggle to take stocks at higher percents, weakened his reputation as the metagame progressed. Wolf's decline was the most apparent in the post-pandemic metagame, especially as Wolf could not catch up to other characters who had stronger advantage states and had an easier time taking stocks. As such, Wolf's representation greatly declined and he fell 10 spots between the first and second tier lists.
* notably had among the worst representation in the early metagame, largely due to his slow mobility, being overshadowed by other swordfighters, and nerfs from Smash 4. Corrin's representation got to the point where he was ranked dead last for metagame representation in the second half of 2022. However, opinions on Corrin would change during and after the online metagame, first due to buffs received from patches, then from dedicated players breaking out onto the scene, most notably in 2022 and in 2023, and finally from 's brief tenure with the character in mid-2022. This led many to reassess Corrin, and he was ranked 42nd on the first tier list. Since then, his representation has only improved as many of these players established themselves in top level play. This was most apparent during , which featured three Corrin players enter top 24 on the Winner's side, and , where featured three different players who used Corrin in at least one notable top 64 set enter top 8. As such, Corrin has since rose to 27th on the second tier list, with many continuing to believe he should be ranked higher.
*In a similar vein to Corrin, was widely regarded as a shell of her Smash 4 self after severe nerfs, with many dismissing her as a "high-risk low-reward" character and her playerbase being below average in size. However, buffs to her kit improved her viability, while her playerbase began growing in size, particularly in the post-online metagame, thanks to 's success in Europe, 's return to top level play after a slump period, and 's debut in Japan. As such, Bayonetta is widely considered a high-tier, ranking 26th on the current tier list, and with all three aforementioned Bayonetta players winning large events throughout Ultimates history, many players believe she should be ranked higher.
* is one of the most polarizing characters in competitive play, as he possesses a strong combo game that can zero-to-death opponents, but also possesses a poor advantage state and weak recovery courtesy of his low air speed and linear recovery moves. As such, although Luigi often had great representation in competition thanks to the efforts of players such as , , and , Luigi himself had historically ranked around the middle of the tier lists. This has led many to call for a reassessment for Luigi's placement on the tier lists, especially with many Luigi players ranking on the LumiRank and Raru becoming a top 10 player following the second tier list's release and winning several majors, though pushback remains due to his equally polarizing weaknesses.
==See also==
*Tier list - The current state of the metagame can be observed by the placement of characters in the most recent tier lists.
*List of tier lists - Changes in the metagame can be observed by how much characters have shifted their position in the tier lists released over the years.
*Mindgame
*Super Smash Bros. Metagame
*Advanced technique
*Technical skill
==External links==
David Sirlin's Advanced Player's Guide
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