It can’t be denied that Melee is the greatest fighting game on the Gamecube console. People across the globe still gather in tournaments to compete. The game’s meta has had twenty years to develop. Many tiers lists have been made to rank the game’s twenty-six fighters by ability. This list will follow in their footsteps and evaluate all of the fighters from S Rank to D Rank.

S Rank: These are the characters who are famous across the community for their great tools in battle and high tournament rankings.

Fox McCloud: 95/100

Anyone who has heard anything related to Melee will know that this guy is the king of the competitive scene. His high learning curve is what distances him from many of the new players. Mastering Fox is a sign of commitment to improve oneself at Melee and is a reward of its own.

Fox is the second fastest character in the game. His speed is exceptional at running, attacking, grabbing, and KO-ing. But he does fall fast too. This makes recoveries a challenge against someone who knows how to exploit this weakness.

His down-B, known as the “shine” by the community, is one of Fox’s best moves. It was designed to be a reflection move against projectiles. Its great application comes from the low frame usage and good hitstun. Forcing an opponent to think fast when shielding is an excellent use of the shine.

Pros:

• Great speed.
• Versatile moves.
• Rewarding to master.
• Shield pressure.

Cons:

• Hard to learn.
• Fast faller.

Jigglypuff: 90/100

This Pokemon’s design is like a balloon. And like a ball of latex and air, it doesn’t take much to pummel this character. The floatiness leaves a difficult combo setup and chaining.

What makes Jigglypuff worthy of an S Rank is edge guarding. The community’s label for this technique is the Wall of Pain. Using aerials with large hitboxes, a Jigglypuff player can force an opponent off of a ledge and leave limited options to recover. Jigglypuff’s recovery is equivalent to five jumps so the tactic is safe if executed with moderation.

Jigglypuff can KO opponents at percentages starting at 25% with the down-B Rest ability. Missing the timing with this move leaves Jigglypuff asleep and ripe for punishment. Try to aim the attack by lining up the enemy with the area above Jigglypuff’s eyes.

Pros:

• Five jump recovery.
• KO potential at 25%.
• Wall of Pain.
• Aerials.

Cons:

• Floaty.
• Easy to KO with enough knockback.

Marth: 88/100

The prince of Altea is a worthy character in Melee’s S Rank. When dealing damage, aim for using his tilts and neutral attacks. He has the advantage of a wide-reaching hitbox that allows for a wider range of attacks. The farther the opponent is from him, the more damage can be dealt - if it’s within the hitbox.

Marth’s grab range has become a meme in Internet circles for its absurd length. The low damage of his throws allows for a chain grab that is complemented by his immense range.

Being able to master Marth requires dedication similar to that of Fox. His safe moves have poor KO potential and require players to task risks to take stocks. But his varied kit of approaches and hitboxes aid him.

Pros:

• Absurd grab range.
• Chain grab potential.
• Far-reaching hitbox.

Cons:

• Requires dedication to master.
• Little KO confirms.

Falco Lombardi: 86/100

Falco plays like a clone of Fox. The most apparent difference between him and his senior is his neutral-B laser. Fox will fire lasers with low damage in rapid succession. Falco’s gun shoots beams with lower speed but with stun potential.

His combo ability is superior to Fox as endowed by his faster-falling speed. This is also a weakness for the same reason as Fox. Falco moves slower on the ground when compared to Fox but many of his moves deal a larger amount of damage.

Pros:

• Higher damage
• His lasers stun.
• Greater combo ability

Cons:

• Slow speed
• Fast falling.

A Rank: These characters aren’t as spectacular as the S Rank. They do pull off great tournament results in the hands of the right characters.

Captain Falcon: 84/100

Pros:

• Great KO confirm.
• Fastest character.
• Many combo starters.

Cons:

• Exploitable recovery.
• Poor reach.
• Slow tilts.

Sheik: 83/100

Pros:

• Versatile attacks.
• Edgeguarding is among the best in the game.
• Combo starting potential.
• Punish game is impeccable.

Cons:

• Laggy recovery with missing invincibility frame.
• Easy to edgehog.
• Punishing is challenging against fast fallers.

Peach: 80/100

Pros:

• Top-tier aerial combat.
• Her vegetable is a great projectile.
• Horizontal recovery.
• Down smash can deal 40% in the right conditions.

Cons:

• Floaty.
• Easily countered by aerial fighters.
• Slow ground movement.

Ice Climbers: 79/100

Pros: 

• Their grabs are unmatched in destructive potential.
• Desyncing.
• Long wavedash.

Cons:

• Difficult to control.
• Easy to separate.
• Weaker when only Popo is alive.

B Rank: These characters have mixed tournament results. Many of them have weaknesses that make them difficult matches against higher-ranked opponents.

Pikachu: 75/100

Dr. Mario: 73/100

Yoshi: 70/100

Samus: 68/100

Luigi: 65/100

C Rank: You are unlikely to see these characters in any tournament and have glaring weaknesses that make them unviable for competitive play. They can still be fun in casual play.

Mewtwo: 63/100

Mario: 60/100

Ganondorf: 59/100

Donkey Kong: 58/100

Link: 56/100

Young Link: 54/100

Ness: 50/100

Zelda: 47/100

Roy: 44/100

D Rank: The bottom of the barrel lies here. These fighters have abysmal attributes that make them hard to play as on even a local level.

Mr. Game & Watch: 40/100

Pichu: 33/100

Kirby: 30/100

Bowser: 25/100

 

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