This article was written by Rango, who can be found on Twitter.
Nearly every Smash player knows their favorite character. However, not everyone’s favorite character can win all their battles. In competitive gaming, “counterpicking” means countering your opponent’s character with another character. For instance, if you main Ike, but go against a Roy, you’ll likely lose that matchup. In the case of the Ike player who wants to win, they’ll likely counterpick to a character that can beat Roy.
For the record, a “-1” or “45:55” matchup means it’s winnable with some inconvenience. The opposing character might have tools that beat out your character’s main playstyle. But with some adaptation, you can exploit your opponent’s weak points.
In contrast, a “-2” or “40:60” matchup means “hard counter.” This matchup is deemed largely unwinnable barring exceptions and is not at all recommended. Unlike the former scenario, a counterpick isn’t just recommended, but may be required in order to defeat your opponent’s character.
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, counterpicking was not prevalent at top level play. The tier list was defined by nearly a dozen characters that were nigh-unbeatable at their best. From Bayonetta to Rosalina to Sonic, the top tiers defined Smash’s competitive scene and were rarely switched out. For instance, Nairo used Zero Suit Samus while Dabuz was known for his Rosalina. Among the first seven characters on the tier list, all of them were solo-viable at top-level play.
Yet in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, one can’t help but notice that solo-maining isn’t as prevalent as before. Considered to be balanced much better than its predecessor, Ultimate no longer poses a series of domineering characters that invalidate chunks of the roster. The handful of top tiers in this game aren’t even as threatening as the ones from Smash 4.
These characters, such as Palutena, Snake, and Joker, carry a substantial amount of strong matchups. But overall, they have more weaknesses than the Smash 4 top tiers did. If you’re losing to these characters, you don’t need to pick a top tier character. You only need to pick the better matchup.
Take MVD’s Snake matchup chart for example. While this is now considered dated (April 2019), early on Snake was considered a top tier. Yet he was not overpowered as he still had an even matchup against Lucas, who was considered upper or mid tier at the time of its publishing. Months after this chart, we’ve received multiple DLC characters and even balance adjustments for King K. Rool, Incineroar, Ryu, Ken, and more.
Sakurai himself mentioned that an internal team adjusts game balance. While Sakurai is left to designing characters, whoever balances the characters is at least ensuring that we don’t get another scenario of Smash 4 Bayonetta or Brawl Meta Knight.
Finally, one of the more notable examples of counterpicking in top level play include Marss vs. Esam at Get On My Level (GOML) 2019. As opposed to opting for his familiar Zero Suit Samus pick, Marss chose the Radiant Hero, Ike. While the character got less attention after MKLeo’s staggering victory at the first big tournament, Smash Conference, Marss proved that Ike had not fallen off the meta, but was still a worthy counterpick as well.
When should you counterpick?
No matter what skill level of play you are, the first thing to do is to pick your main. Find the character that suits your preferred playstyle and personality and learn their inner workings. Eventually, you’ll come across matchups that will prove more difficult for your character. As I mentioned with Ike earlier, Roy is one of those matchups. You’ll find these inconvenient matchups for nearly everyone you play.
However, that doesn’t mean you necessarily switch to a top tier. If you don’t know who works against the character, you might end up running in circles. Moreover, you might have lost to a character, with an even matchup, by a player who managed to heavily outplay you. Practice these matchups until you know what’s not working. Then decide whether or not you want to learn a new character for that matchup.
Some players in Smash consider solo-maining to be the best option. However, consider that older games, such as Melee, where a top tier dominated the roster and invalidated many of the characters. Ultimate doesn’t fall under this case like Smash games before it.
Moreover, many fighting games require use of more than one character. Team-based titles, such as Marvel vs. Capcom, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and The King of Fighters, require players to learn at least three characters to succeed. These options indicate that it’s essential for players to learn more than one character. Moreover, for players interested in Squad Strike events, this knowledge will become necessary.
Make sure you’re communicating actively with other mains. You can always join a Discord channel to engage in discussion with other users and even utilize their resources to your advantage.
Also note that two characters might be enough for some, while three characters may be more beneficial. You may do yourself a favor keeping both of their backs covered with a tertiary character. Remember that no amount of time learning a character is time wasted. Anytime you’re learning aspects of the game, you’re building up your fundamentals.
Finally, don’t be afraid to switch out if you’re struggling in bracket. If you don’t experiment, you’ll never learn what works.
What kind of characters should I counterpick to?
Finally, it pays to know what kind of characters you should invest in. Just because you main Ike doesn’t mean Palutena should be your first choice. The difference between their playstyles is quite vast. If you’re struggling with Roy, you may be better off countering with another physical type who uses a projectile, such as Wolf.
Ike bonds well with melee type characters, such as Mario, Terry, Bowser, and more. If you enjoy swordplay but also feel comfortable with speedier characters, you could also try Lucina. However, if that’s not working out for you, find another character that suits your relative playstyle.
Likewise, Pikachu mains could consider using another agile projectile character, like Fox, Falco, or even Wolf. Find some way to compliment your playstyle using someone with similar strengths. In my personal case, I’ve found the most success with Terry.
Even though I thought Lucina and Bowser would be my primary counter choices, Terry’s KO power and damage output work for me as an Ike main while covering his bad matchups. However, his ability to use projectiles, cover distances, and win neutral offer him a variety of tools that my main otherwise lacks.
Likewise, Wolf suits me as someone who wants the KO power, but also uses a projectile. Wolf is known for even matchups against Greninja, who beats both Ike and Terry. Since none of my characters fall under “even or disadvantage,” it falls to me to use a character who falls under “even” and outplay my opponent. Please keep in mind, however, that matchup charts are not gospel and only serve as relative data.
Notably, using a smaller and speedy character, like Pikachu, Joker, or R.O.B., wouldn’t suit my playstyle at all. Make sure you pick what compliments your playstyle. Sort out the tier list, pick someone in the higher tiers that works with your style, one that you enjoy playing as, and go from there.
Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that the metagame is always evolving. With the amount of updates and DLC characters we’ve gotten over the past year, nothing is set in stone. Even Palutena and Joker, two of the most well-known top tiers, have received heavy nerfs in the last patch.
Most importantly, you want to play characters you enjoy. Forcing yourself to play someone just because they’re good, but not enjoyable, won’t help you in the long run. You’re less likely to yield results using a character that doesn’t naturally click with you.
Finally, it’s okay to experiment. Don’t feel pressured not to try new things because you’re telling yourself “you’re wasting your time” or “you’re not practicing your main.” The reason you lose in bracket isn’t because you dedicate time to experiment and try new things. Getting outplayed by a better opponent can and will happen whether you’re using one character or three.
You’ll grow at your own rate and eventually learn what you need to do in order to improve and succeed. Remember to practice your characters as much as you can and not give up after only a few losses. Rather than sticking to your main 100% of the time, you’ll never know when you may need to switch out. Moreover, you may never know what you’re truly capable of unless you take the dive and find out yourself.
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