Super Smash Bros. Melee pros weigh in on Melee fighter tier list

Apr 6, 2021

The first official Super Smash Bros. Melee fighter tier list has been created since 2015.

PGstats consulted a group of 64 professional Melee players to put together the "13th official tier list" for the classic fighting game. The past 12 lists were created by special members of Smashboards' Melee Back Room, but PGstats took over for this 13th list after Smashboards' views started to dwindle over the past few years.

After collecting data from the 64 players with the Melee Panda Global Rankings 2019, PGstats "crunched some numbers" to come up with the official Melee fighter rankings. Here is the official tier list below.

S-Tier

Fox

Fox is still number one, which comes as no surprise. He has incredible speed and can quickly rack up damage with combos. His shine is a one-frame attack that makes these combos even stronger. Shine is also great for edgeguarding. Fox also has great recovery options.

Marth

The Fire Emblem fighter has become the second-best in Melee. This is most likely due to Zain "Zain" Naghmi taking on Marth in a variety of tournaments. His success with the wordsmith has propelled Marth even higher in the most recent tier list.

Jigglypuff

Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma has become the top Melee player in the world in recent years. And Hungrybox almost exclusively plays Jigglypuff. This has moved Jigglypuff up to the third-place spot on the tier list. Don't "rest" on Jigglypuff.

Falco

Falco is now at the bottom of S-tier. This is due to Marth and Jigglypuff moving up on the list. Some even wonder if Marth is the best fighter in the game, although it seems the pros have spoken and Fox is still on top for now.

A-Tier

Shiek

Melee players aren't surprised to see Shiek so high up on the list. With excellent combos and the ability to chain throw on lower-tier fighters, Shiek is a tricky fighter to get the upper hand against. She also has fast aerials, high jumps, and crazy good edgeguarding.

Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon has impressive KO power. His knee smash is one of the best aerials in the game thanks to the incredible knockback it delivers. Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallett is one of the best Falcons in the world, so check out his gameplay for some pointers on how to master this fighter.

Peach

Peach has moved down on the tier list due to Jigglypuff's rise in the competitive scene. Jigglypuff is Peach's worst matchup, so the princess has been knocked down.

B-Tier

+ Ice Climbers, Pikachu, Yoshi, Samus

- Luigi, Dr. Mario

Eduardo "Eddy Mexico" Rincon is a talented Luigi player that has most likely helped the character climb up the tier list. Eddy Mexico has been competing in a lot of online tournaments, helping Luigi prove his worth in Melee's competitive scene.

C-Tier

+ Ganondorf, Mario

- Donkey Kong, Young Link, Link, Mr. Game & Watch

Ganondorf's 14th place in Melee is his best placement in Super Smash Bros' entire series. He is extremely powerful, has good reach, and pretty clutch aerials. He has the strongest meteor smash in the game with his down aerial. Him and all the other fighters in C-Tier have basically stayed in the same spot except Donkey Kong.

DK has proven himself a skilled fighter due to his throwing abilities. Donkey Kong's throws have low knockback and low ending lag, which means he can use them to start a variety of great combos. It's important to keep in mind, however, that he has below-average grab range.

D-Tier

MewTwo, Roy, Pichu, Ness, Zelda

D-Tier is nothing to write home about, but it is funny to see Pichu moving up on the tier list. The Pokemon was allegedly designed to be a joke in Melee but he's since moved up to 22nd place. Pikachu is in 9th, making this electric Pokemon a much safer choice. But it's still fun to see competitive players discover Pichu's potential.

F-Tier

Kirby, Bowser

Look how they massacred my boy. Kirby continues to be one of the worst fighters in Melee despite being one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe. For once, Kirby isn't in last, however. The worst fighter in the game has now been awarded to Bowser. The heavy fighter has been considered the worst in previous tier lists so this isn't too much of a surprise.