RyNo 86
Smash Journeyman
Much more than just statistics goes into the tier lists.
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I believe Yuna had a good thing to say about that: "Individual skill will be able to trumph tiers and bad matchups". Period. And I'm speaking Brawl.@ Tage Erlander: The best definition for a tier list is this: if we took all of the best players of each character in the world & had them play each other, the tier list would be a ranking of each character's win loss record from best to worst (generally). Certain characters have certain aspects about them that make them better than other characters.
For example, in Melee, Sheik was a huge Bowser counter. Sheik was faster, had a godly projectile, a chaingrab, & killed Bowser very well. Assuming two players of equal skill played each other, one using Bowser, the other using Sheik, if both players played at their best ability, odds are, Sheik would win.
Let's say we represented the odds like this: if both players played 10 games, we would use their win-loss record as a way to represent how much one characted had an advantage. 5-5 is even, 6-4 is a slight advantage, 8-2 is a solid advantage, & 10-0 is a huge advantage. The matchup above would be ranked as a 10-0 in Sheik's favor.
What tier lists & matchup charts don't take into account is skill. For a matchup like 5-5, the player with more skill would obviously win. In a matchup like 7-3, the player with the disadvantage would have to have more skill than the other player in order to hold his own (let alone win). In the above matchup, the Bowser player would have to be substantially better than the Sheik player in order to win. Gimpyfish is an example. But, like Yuna said, Gimpyfish doesn't beat good Sheik players because they have an equal amount of skill as him.
These matchups are a result of how good a character is. A character with a lot of good matchups would obviously be high on the list, while a character with few good matchups would be low on the list. This is how a tier list forms. Just because a character low on the tier list has an advantage against a character high on the list, doesn't mean the list is useless. The list is a general ranking of how good characters are.
1. They are not based on skill, but they are assuming equal skill.Tier lists are not based on skill. They are theoretically based on the outcome of tournaments, skill removed from the equation when you compare character to character.
Matchups, combo potential, KO power, mindgames, and advanced techs all factor into this.
And being perfectly honest, the fact that you seem to pop up out of nowhere and tell hundreds - if not thousands of professional players - that they are wrong for these ideas is not only stupid, it's an ******* thing for you to do.
I'm sure when they say equal skill, they don't quite literally mean they are equal in every way. There are many factors that make up skill such as technically skills, mindgames, tactics, and spacing. Different players will have different combinations of how good they are at these various skills and different ways of applying them (playing style). It comes down to a combination of those factors and more when determining how good a player is. It's like the various pros in Melee, many were roughly equal to each other in skill, but they didn't all play the same.1. They are not based on skill, but they are assuming equal skill.
And I'm talking about any fighting game where these same principles apply. Yuna was saying that skilled players playing a low tier character can beat not-so-skilled players of high tier characters. The thing is, the tier list doesn't take different skill levels into account. Think of it this way:I believe Yuna had a good thing to say about that: "Individual skill will be able to trumph tiers and bad matchups". Period. And I'm speaking Brawl.
God, and once again the classic "Well if you're going to take that tone with me, mister, you can just leave!" argument comes out. And better yet you even chide my 'childish' tone and then tell me to go watch nice pictures. Very smooth.2. If you can't take me telling you that you're wrong, then this is not the place for you. Go to smashbros.com instead, they got nice pictures to watch. This is not a "shut up and listen to pros" forum, this is a discussions forum. Take it or leave it.
...which is impossibly wrong because the character itself does matter.Statistics are crap, because instead of thinking what theoretically would happen in a certain matchup, every match should be an individual case. Doesn't matter how big your advantage is against say, Mario, because you know as well as I that it comes down to who you're fighting, not what character your character is fighting.
EXACTLY!1. They are not based on skill, but they are assuming equal skill.
That was my point. The teir list is there as a guide line as to who the best characters are. They are not the end all laws of who is going to win any given match. I mained shiek in melee, because i liked her. Now I still main sheik and I can hold my own against the "so called" top teir characters. My brother mains falco and snake and i still own him half the time.I know that you're arguing "You can never really tell who is going to come out on top", but the point of a tier list is to find, statistically, who is most likely if you pick that character. Arguing against their existence because of the infinitesimally small chance that the worst characters (Cap, Ganondorf) can go against the top hitters (Marth, Falco, Metaknight) and actually win which somehow nullifies their existence as a whole is beyond insane. [/B] supportive.
Possible =/= ProbableI believe Yuna had a good thing to say about that: "Individual skill will be able to trumph tiers and bad matchups". Period. And I'm speaking Brawl.
Yes, and with equal skill, Sheik will always win over Bowser unless she screws up something terrible.1. They are not based on skill, but they are assuming equal skill.
At least when I tell people I'm wrong, I have the facts on my side.2. If you can't take me telling you that you're wrong, then this is not the place for you. Go to smashbros.com instead, they got nice pictures to watch. This is not a "shut up and listen to pros" forum, this is a discussions forum. Take it or leave it.
You don't agree on a lot of things. Like logic and facts.3. It may not look like it, but of course, I'm listening to what you're saying (although I don't like the childish tone), and I do realize your emphasis of the function and necessity of a tier list. I just don't agree.
Actually, I was a Smash Back Roomer. Now I'm just a Back Roomer. I randomly lost access when I was inactive for months way back when so I'm guessing membership can be revoked for inactivity.My point was, Yuna is a Backroomer and a Smash Director. He's had years of competitive Smash experience, and the community recognizes that and gives him access specifically to discuss and host Smash-related information. He has miles more experience than you do on the subject of Smash Bros and what a Tier list is, because he is the one who helps design it.
Even in the Guilty Gear XX-series, where the characters are so generally balance almost everything comes down to counterpicking matchup, there's still a clear tierlist (that changes sometimes, but still). The Bottom Tiers in GGXX have won tournaments... yet there have sometimes been an S-Tier with a single character in it because he's just clearly better than everyone else.Have you tried bringing this up to 3S or Guilty Gear XX players? I'm sure they'd be real supportive.
Nope, that's not what I was saying. I was saying "if you want to discuss, stay. If not, leave." It's difficult to discuss without anyone, so I'd prefer it if you'd stay. Smooth? I don't care.God, and once again the classic "Well if you're going to take that tone with me, mister, you can just leave!" argument comes out. And better yet you even chide my 'childish' tone and then tell me to go watch nice pictures. Very smooth.
That's interesting, because all I see is an arrogant kid with over six-thousand posts, who, when unable (or unwilling?) to back up his claims, resort to petty insults and flawed examples. Basketball, hah.My point was, Yuna is a Backroomer and a Smash Director. He's had years of competitive Smash experience, and the community recognizes that and gives him access specifically to discuss and host Smash-related information. He has miles more experience than you do on the subject of Smash Bros and what a Tier list is, because he is the one who helps design it.
EXACTLY.I know that you're arguing "You can never really tell who is going to come out on top"
I don't play 3S or Guilty Gear XX, so no, haven't.Have you tried bringing this up to 3S or Guilty Gear XX players? I'm sure they'd be real supportive.
I believe we're speaking past eachother. MiraiGen got my point, it's up there.Now, let's say the guy without the sword is much more skilled the guy with the sword. This means that he now has a better chance of winning. If he wins, does that mean the matchup chart for this fight is wrong? No, because it doesn't take skill into consideration. The chart just shows the statistical favorite for that match. Nothing else.
Are you telling me that you're wrong?At least when I tell people I'm wrong, I have the facts on my side.
Since when does the list have anything to do with what character suits your playstyle?I don't like the whole idea of the tier list. I believe that everyone should main a character that suits they're playing style best
I've had the same thought for some time now but couldn't quite articulate it. Well said.Oh yeah, here's another problem with the tier list. The tier list is based on tournament results: by extension, the strength of each character's metagame. Unfortunately, most advanced people capable of aiding a character's evolution quickly gravitate to the top few characters who seem the best. As such, these characters get an immediate head start over everyone else. So a low tier character may actually have a whole lot of potential, but with no skilled or dedicated players using him, he may never realize that potential.
Yes but I think thats only a problem in the early stages of a game's lifespan. Over time people will try even the lower tier characters and take them pretty much as far as they can go.Oh yeah, here's another problem with the tier list. The tier list is based on tournament results: by extension, the strength of each character's metagame. Unfortunately, most advanced people capable of aiding a character's evolution quickly gravitate to the top few characters who seem the best. As such, these characters get an immediate head start over everyone else. So a low tier character may actually have a whole lot of potential, but with no skilled or dedicated players using him, he may never realize that potential.
Exactly. This is what happened to IC in Melee. They were low, but people got bored of playing high tier, so they decided to play IC and found out that they can wobble, amongst other things, and what do you know? Right under CF in the Melee tier list.Yes but I think thats only a problem in the early stages of a game's lifespan. Over time people will try even the lower tier characters and take them pretty much as far as they can go.
But your point is invalid. Tier lists are probability outcomes taking a number of factors in. They are lists that show, given the circumstances, who is most likely to come out on top. They are not the end-all-be-all of Smash.EXACTLY.
I see my point is made.
Yeah, how long did the Melee lists take to get finalized? I think it was like two years after the competitive scene became official?I don't see a tier list for this game yet
Matchups, yes. Tier lists, no.
Thank you.If you don't like tier list, that's fine.
I don't.Just don't go around saying they don't exist.
Your problem is that you fail to grasp the concept of me not actually saying that. I didn't say they would be the all-god fetish master sword of ultimation.But your point is invalid. Tier lists are probability outcomes taking a number of factors in. They are lists that show, given the circumstances, who is most likely to come out on top. They are not the end-all-be-all of Smash.
Your problem is that you fail to grasp that concept.
...You have demonstrated an astounding new level of stupidity by not only not getting that concept, but by literally plugging your ears and throwing around the same tired argument of "But we don't really know!"
The fact is, we don't
Quoted for miraculous truth. I bet my mistake was that I used "stupid" in my first post. Such a loaded word.Whenever I read through these tier debates, it seems like (most) everyone's intentions are good, but people just start talking circles around one another and it becomes a word game instead of a discussion of ideas. Someone like Tage will come along and make a relatively fundamental and acceptable point, but pronounce it in a way that becomes unnecessarily trenchant and causes everyone in the topic to lose focus. MiraiGen just gave this topic the pimp slap of doom, I suggest lockage.
I agree completely, that's why I mained Kirby way back when in Melee. I was originally a Marth player,was pretty good too, for a while at least. My friends started kicking my butt though. Everyone in my area mained Marth, so I decided to try using someone else. Someone that I never saw got played much. It was between Bowser and Kirby. I couldn't win with Bowser to save my life, so I went with Kirby.Characters that are used the least are the hardest to play against.
This is a miraculously good point in a sea of bad arguments. Good players generally do what everyone in this thread (mostly everyone) dreams of doing: inventing the tiers. Look at the Smash Back Room thread in the Stickied section. It's the members of smashboards who are generally accepted to be good at what they do creating analyses of every character in the game. Will the noobish players among us necessarily look into those descriptions and make a character decision based on that? No, many will gravitate towards the high/top tiered characters. But will some of us who want to spice things up maybe look at a bottom-mid character and decide to try them out? Yes.Oh yeah, here's another problem with the tier list. The tier list is based on tournament results: by extension, the strength of each character's metagame. Unfortunately, most advanced people capable of aiding a character's evolution quickly gravitate to the top few characters who seem the best. As such, these characters get an immediate head start over everyone else. So a low tier character may actually have a whole lot of potential, but with no skilled or dedicated players using him, he may never realize that potential.
Nitpicking. You're dissecting my argument and instead of refuting me you're just disagreeing with separate sections that have nothing to do with what I'm saying.Your problem is that you fail to grasp the concept of me not actually saying that. I didn't say they would be the all-god fetish master sword of ultimation.
I'm sick and tired of this sanctimonious bovine manure about Top Tiers taking "no skill", etc., etc., etc.
Yes, Top Tiers have an easier time winning (some still require technical skill, it's just that if you've got it down, you can do devastating things). Yes, Low Tiers usually have to work harder.
And? It's your choice to play someone who's Low Tier. It's someone else's choice to not to. Just because you play a Low Tiered character, you have no right saying "My character takes more skill!" as if you were clearly a better player, yet they still won just because of their character. You made a choice. Live with it. Don't insult others for theirs.
It's like picking a boxing glove vs. a revolver in a duel. You made your choice yourself. Why? Maybe you like that style better. Doesn't mean you have any right to complain when you get one-hit-KO:ed by a headshot and the opponent walks out of there unscathed.
Make a choice, stick with it, allow others to make theirs.
THANK YOU!! That pretty much sums up everything I'm trying to convey. Anyways, I'm done with this thread. He's ignoring almost all of my posts & we're really getting nowhere. This thread is getting almost as ridiculous as the old SPEED: Fox vs Sonic thread. Will a mod please come along & close this?Nitpicking. You're dissecting my argument and instead of refuting me you're just disagreeing with separate sections that have nothing to do with what I'm saying.
The point is tier lists are made for a reason, they are guidelines of Smash competitively, and ignoring them is beyond insane.
I second the closing motion. I've made my point repeatedly and I don't think that arguing with Tara is even worth it. It's just another "Tires don exits" argument, but instead of the usual log it's the absence of definite proof that he's going with.THANK YOU!! That pretty much sums up everything I'm trying to convey. Anyways, I'm done with this thread. He's ignoring almost all of my posts & we're really getting nowhere. This thread is getting almost as ridiculous as the old SPEED: Fox vs Sonic thread. Will a mod please come along & close this?