Am I going Palutena or Snake?
Min Min is now just a day away from launch as the first ever Fighter Pass Vol. 2 characters with their stretchy ARMS and the ability to change weaponry on the go.
Many players already feel that the ARMS representative is shaping up to be one of the best mid and long range zoners in Smash Ultimate, but who are all his competitors for that title?
We’ve rounded up the ranks of the top five zoner characters in Smash using the EventHubs community tier list to see how they all rank against the rest of the cast.
With Ultimate’s extremely offensive and fast-paced playstyle dominating much of high-level tournaments, long-range fighters in top parentheses are few and far between in many cases with a few notable exceptions.
It looks like Simon and Richter Belmont could really impress after their initial reveal in 2018, but their results have them at number 50 out of 80 for our tier list alongside other notable ranged characters like Samus, Zelda, and Villager.
The last character added to the game, Byleth, also fits into that mid-range offensive zone, though his own character flaws and frame data issues keep them in the same area.
Let’s dig a little deeper into what it takes to be a strong zoner in Smash Ultimate with one of the best in Smash 4.
Mega Man has been in the Smash series for just two games right now, but the impact he’s had on game designs can still be felt in his multitude of adaptive moves.
However, it has not proven to be as popular with the best compared to Smash 4, and much of that is because its power is now more focused on close range with some of its attacks and Smash antennas along with other changes.
Capcom’s first Smash fighter still has crazy antics when it comes to his hacksaw and item drop cancellation technology, though that also requires a closer position to hit rather than his Mega Buster.
Like many others in Ultimate, Mega Man’s pressure and shield damage game was also nerfed in 3.0, which didn’t help things there either because of the zoning.
Players like Kameme show that Mega Man is still a really good character now, even if he is changing the way he was initially promoted a bit.
Mega Man is ranked 17 on the EH tier list.
Players were very happy to see Young Link appear again after his absence from two games, which was soon replaced by the feeling of ‘oh shit, now I have to fight this character again, and he’s much better.’
Like his other variations, Young Link is great at throwing everything and the kitchen sinks against his opponent, as well as being the only team member to receive fire arrows.
The combination of boomerangs, bombs and aiming arrows makes it very difficult to try to approach the character from a Battlefield-style setting, let alone the Final Destination.
Young Link is higher on this list at 15 because he also has the strength to fight whenever the enemy manages to get close with tools like neutral air and specials.
The developers also made it more different compared to the standard Link, now considering that they changed the older fighter to have remote bombs and alter the way his arrows work, which isn’t really better or worse than YL’s. They only require different tactics now in some areas.
I know this one might not be agreed by everyone, but Ivy should definitely be considered as one of the best zoners in Ultimate, and arguably all-time in some cases.
It’s hard to keep track of the number of sets we’ve seen with Ivysaur doing most of the major uprising in most matchups where the middle evolution could just sit back and launch Razor Leaf attacks at anyone who might try to cross his path.
Vine Whip is also great at keeping the opponent at bay for more recovery, but of course the only move most people talk to about the character is the airborne explosive that would destroy players trying to recover underneath From Stage.
TSM | Tweek brought Pokemon Trainer to second place in EVO last year, and we’ve seen continued success for the overall character from other top talents like Puppeh.
There is also the advantage of being able to switch to the full-bodied Charizard or Happy Squirtle at almost any time.
What a fighting game zoner list would be complete without mentioning Solid Snake, considering it’s paramount to who he is as a fighter, anyway, in Smash games.
Snake’s enemies need to walk through a literal minefield to even try to get close to the super soldier with his ability to constantly throw grenades like a bad juggler.
That adds to the fact that he also has a remotely detonated explosive that he can plant anywhere on stage or in characters and a remotely controlled rocket.
Snake’s damage and frustration makes the racks pile up pretty quickly, but more than that, it stands up for most of the game, as he can always drop things at his feet or rely on his heavyweight and super recovery. good to keep him alive even if he gets hit in the face.
While Brawl’s Snake Ledge grabbing tactics may disappear with the changes in Recovery and the Cypher, many of his other moves saw benefits in areas such as speed and recovery.
You may need to work harder to kill in Ultimate, but Solid Snake is still a damn threat on the field, no matter where you are.
It probably comes as no surprise to anyone playing the game that Palutena is absolutely the best fighter in Ultimate, who is also considered a powerful zoner.
The goddess’ Smash’s attacks cover such a wide range around her and above that it makes it so difficult to run to her face or especially try to recover from the ledge.
Palutena doesn’t have the ability to hit everyone as far as Snake and Young Link, but her strength comes from hitting players within nearly a 360-degree radius of her mid-range sweet spot, especially considering that she’s tracking , multi-hit projectile.
Even with some of the nerfs for powerful tools like neutral air, Kid Icarus rep is still one of the best Ultimate characters overall, which is a testament to his strength with Joker, Pikachu and Peach, all above her at number five.
Click on images for larger versions.
These rankings were made based on our list of community levels for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate voted by EventHubs readers and users based on their matchmaking knowledge.
If you disagree with these numbers and matchmaking ratings, for Smash or any of the games we cover, make your voice heard by bringing your own experiences to the board.
Will Min Min be better than any of these five fighters, especially in the realm of being a zoner? It’s almost impossible to know until we finally get it in our hands, but let us know in the comments how strong you expect the noodle shop owner to be.
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