Rank the FE characters in SSB4 from best to worst competitively.

[Vajra]

I was just wondering what the Serenes Forest community thinks of the Fire Emblem characters SSB4, specifically how they fare in its competitive environment. I originally created this topic on GameFAQs about a week ago to see their opinions, and Roy won the poll for best FE character by a landslide. Of course, it is possible that the initial hype from his announcement may have impacted the results, but who knows if he may end up actually being very good.

The metagame is changing rapidly. Now, with Roy's inclusion and another balance update, where do you guys believe they all currently stand from best to worst? Which of the five do you predict will rank highest on the tier list? Lowest? I would be very interested to hear your reasoning as well.

For me, personally...

Marth ≥ Ike > Roy >>> Lucina ≥ Robin

Marth: His tippers are still deadly, especially with rage. Dancing Blade being more reliable as of the 1.0.6. update is also something to be feared. Buffs to Jab, U-tilt, and N-air help his ground and spacing game considerably; furthermore, the knockback buff to Dolphin Slash make it a better OoS option.

Ike: The buff to F-air makes it nearly reminiscent of SSBB F-air, where the hitboxes now match the entire animation of the swing, allowing it to hit foes directly above and below him better. Dash Attack also received a massive buff, being both faster and stronger, which can finally be used to kill and punish much more effectively. I think it is also worth mentioning that his Counter received a knockback buff in 1.0.6.; this buff went unnoticed for a long time until shortly after 1.0.8. was released, interestingly.

Roy: Although it hasn't even been a month and that his metagame is still young, I could see potential in him. He is quite fun to use. I noticed many have quickly labeled him as the best FE character shortly after his release, even going as far to say he ranks among the Top 15 of the cast. There is certainly much less of a gap in viability, compared to his Melee counterpart; however, I am not yet convinced he is the best of the FE group, let alone a candidate for high tier, especially since he is competing against the likes of buffed Marth and buffed Ike. Some of his attacks have shorter range than Marth's due to the reverse grip. Blazer is an amazing OoS option, but a mediocre recovery. His Counter is the strongest in the game, considering non-customs, with a 1.35x damage multiplier; that is even more powerful than Shulk's Vision. I find Roy particularly lacking in the short-hop auto-cancel department. Being required to always be in his opponent's face to maximize damage makes him a very high-risk, high-reward type character.

Lucina: Much like Marth, the buffs improve her ground game. The damage buffs from the previous update were nice, but she remains an inferior version of her male counterpart as she lacks any reward for good spacing.

Robin: I am sure his potential is yet to be fully realized and that he can be deadly in the right hands. Don't get me wrong. Even though I have placed him last, I think he is decent for the fact that he has a projectile game as well as devastating Levin aerials and smashes. His lack of buffs in the recent update is just depressing. He seems to have fallen behind now that his fellow FE co-stars were heavily buffed.

With Roy's appearance in SSB4, along with the 1.0.8. update, I doubt the FE characters would continue to be grouped at the very bottom together in future tier lists. Fire Emblem is on the rise! ^-^

Edited June 26, 2015 by Xuan Wu

[Klokinator]

>Implying Roy wasn't the best SSBM character ever

>Implying he's not the best SSB4 character overall currently

[Ice Sage]

Imo Roy > Ike > Robin > Marth > Lucina

I would've put Robin above Ike, but with the buffs I think ike is now better.

[Anacybele]

As much as I hate to admit to it, Roy does seem like he's the best, what with his decent speed and power and d-throw combos and all. But not by much, I think a good Ike player can still give a good Roy player a run for his money. Marth pretty much lost all he was capable of doing in past Smash games though, and his range keeps getting shortened because his sword keeps getting shorter. Robin is way too freaking slow and Lucina is Marth without the advantage of a tipper.

Admittedly though, I crack up every time I have Robin run. His running speed is just...wow. lol He looks so ridiculous.

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Roy for sure is the best, at least I'd say so. I'd honestly say Ike is the worst, but not by much. I always have fun with Robin, and Marth was my main FE character until Roy was brought back. As for Lucina, well she's pretty much just Marth, I honestly can never tell the tipper-difference.

[Gaia]

Roy > Robin > Marth > Lucina > Ike, no doubt about it

[Ema Skye]

Roy > Ike > Marth > Lucina > Robin

[Tsunami922]

I don't use any of these characters regularly, but I'd say (in my very uniformed opinion) Roy > Marth > Ike > Robin > Lucina

Where's Lyn?

[kingddd]

Roy > Ike > Marth > Robin > Lucina

Ike while can still be gimped really easily can kill enemies just with his tilts. Roy's sweetspot is insanely good that you can kill at 60% and he has combos to boot he's quite good.

[Jedi]

Roy > Ike > Marth > Robin > Lucina.

No contest after the patch.

[Junkhead]

Roy > Robin > Marf > Ike > Lucy

[cnkern]

Roy(throws are a huge part of smash4 and roy has good follow ups)>>>>>>>>>>>>Robin (played by a smart player ie.setting up traps)>Ike>use roy if you want to use marth or lucina as they are kinda pointless to use when roy is available and plays similar enough

This is a personal list for tournament play (so platforms are considered) and is not for For Glory.

Also after robin the list is redundant as Ike, Lucina,Marth in a tournament setting are quite bad and are not played much.

Edited June 26, 2015 by cnkern

[Sentacotus]

I'd say

Roy>Ike>Robin>Marth>Lucina.

Ike's buffs helped him considerably and Roy has a happy combination of speed, combos, and power. Robin has a decent offstage game and when managed well with his weapon uses is a threat. Poor Marth has been hit hard from previous smash games but I could see why some people place him above Robin with his tipper and all. Lucina is Marth without the tipper potential to kill early has all the flaws and none of the benefits.

[Vajra]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone. Dang... Am I really the only one here not thinking Roy is the best? Perhaps I may be underrating him? Maybe there's just something I'm not seeing that you guys are. ^-^

I don't know. Yes, he runs faster than Marth; yes, he hits almost as hard as Ike. His raw attributes in speed and power are good, but what do you guys think about him being a fast-faller? It's a trait he retained from Melee, but I find it more of a hindrance to him than a help. His recovery seems to be made worse because of it. Fast-fallers are also known to be more susceptible to combos. Also, how confident are you guys when approaching with Roy and being so up close to your opponent most of the time?

Other than that, I do think Roy can be a very formidable character when played to his fullest potential and making good reads. :)

[cnkern]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everyone. Dang... Am I really the only one here not thinking Roy is the best? Perhaps I may be underrating him? Maybe there's just something I'm not seeing that you guys are. ^-^

Great throws, lack of landing lag on nair, up special having superarmor, way bigger sweetspot than marth (at least it seems like),netural b having next to none ending frames

he is basically what marth should've been in this game

EDIT:i also believe some of his moves have a bit longer range than marths but don't quote me on that.

Edited June 26, 2015 by cnkern

[Comet]

red marth >>>> gorilla marth > marth > magic marth >> girl marth

falling faster means roy can tomohawk people (empty jump into grab) reasonably well. it also means he has less commitment when jumping. the recovery issues that roy has are shared with the other fe characters.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Comet

[Tsunami922]

red marth >>>> gorilla marth > marth > magic marth >> girl marth

Best list right here.

[Vajra]

Great throws, lack of landing lag on nair, up special having superarmor, way bigger sweetspot than marth (at least it seems like),netural b having next to none ending frames

he is basically what marth should've been in this game

I can definitely agree his N-air and Throws (minus B-throw) are amazing. As for Roy's Flare Blade, when do you find yourself using it? As an Ike main, my first instinct was to use it as an edge-guard, similarly to Eruption, but to no avail. Flare Blade's hitbox looks like it's just the flame, and it seems to lack lingering frames that Eruption has.

^-^

red marth >>>> gorilla marth > marth > magic marth >> girl marth

falling faster means roy can tomohawk people (empty jump into grab) reasonably well. it also means he has less commitment when jumping. the recovery issues that roy has are shared with the other fe characters.

I have to admit that I chuckled a bit at your list. Thanks. Your explanation for fast falling speed makes perfect sense. ^-^

Edited June 26, 2015 by Xuan Wu

[BlazeBitz]

While Robin is my true main and I believe he is the second best FE Smash character, I have to admit Roy is probably top 5 or 6 overall right now. Ike's buffs were good, and Lucina/Marth got it so their jabs hit twice at low-mid percentages, so... yay?

[Knife]

Roy is obviously the best. Lucina is the worst. The rest are in a weird order.

[Batter the Beast]

Roy >>>> Ike = Robin > Marth > Lucina

FE kinda got crapped on in this Smash until Roy, if Robin's friggin Arcfire was more reliable I'd feel comfortable placing them above Ike but half the time I land it they just get out before followup/launch so meh

[Gaia]

Also Roy has IASA frames on his fair so you don't have to commit to it at all (you can shorthop fair and immediately jump back) making it an extremely strong approach option

Edited June 28, 2015 by Gaia

[Vajra]

Also Roy has IASA frames on his fair so you don't have to commit to it at all (you can shorthop fair and immediately jump back) making it an extremely strong approach option

True. It is definitely helpful for avoiding landing lag. If I recall correctly, Marth can do this too, though it is definitely more beneficial to Roy since the latter lacks any auto-cancels on short-hop. ^-^

Anyway, I asked the Smashboards competitive community yesterday to rank the FE characters; nearly all of them believe Ike and Roy to be the best, with Marth not far behind them, and it is almost unanimously agreed Robin is the worst.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Xuan Wu

[Anacybele]

And Ike is good in a non-FE game for once. Yay. ^^

Edited June 28, 2015 by Anacybele

[CT075]

red marth >>>> gorilla marth > marth > magic marth >> girl marth

gorilla marth is the best description of him i've ever heard ever