Masahiro Sakurai famously said that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was a "miracle." Honestly, he's right. It is a game that shouldn't exist because of the licensing nightmare alone. But here we are, years after Sora floated into the roster as the final DLC, and the game feels more alive than ever. It's weird. Usually, fighting games have a shelf life where everyone figures out the "best" way to play, and then it just becomes a stale cycle of the same three characters.
Smash isn't doing that.
The game has this strange staying power that defies the typical esports rot. While other franchises struggle to keep people interested without constant seasonal updates or battle passes, Ultimate thrives on a grassroots level. It’s the sheer density of the roster—89 fighters if you’re counting—that keeps the community from burning out. You can't ever truly "solve" a game with this many variables.
The Steve Problem and Why Ban Culture is Real
If you’ve spent any time on Twitter (or X, whatever) lately, you’ve seen the discourse. Steve from Minecraft is the boogeyman.
For a long time, the community was split. Some people argued that banning characters is a slippery slope that ruins the competitive integrity of the game. Others pointed out that Steve literally breaks the fundamental rules of Smash. He builds walls. He mines for resources while you’re trying to play a platform fighter. It’s frustrating.
Then came the "PMLG" (Phantom MLG) discovery. Basically, Steve players found a way to cancel hitstun, meaning if you hit him, he could just... not care. It changed everything. Several major tournaments, including the Luminosity series and various regional majors, started implementing Steve bans. It wasn’t a unanimous decision across the whole scene, but it signaled a massive shift in how we view "Ultimate" balance.
But here’s the thing: even with the Steve drama, the game hasn't died. In fact, it forced players to get better. We saw the rise of a new generation of players like acola and Miya who proved that even if you don't like the character, the skill ceiling is still astronomical.
🔗 Read more: Weakness Exploit in MH Wilds: Why the Meta is Changing Forever
Everyone is Broken, Which Means No One Is
Sakurai’s philosophy for Ultimate was "Everyone is Here," but it was also "Everything is viable." Mostly.
If you look at the top tier of play, it’s not just one character dominating. You have Sonic players like Sonix who play a hyper-optimized, timeout-heavy style that makes people lose their minds. Then you have Light playing Fox at 200 miles per hour, refusing to let his opponent breathe.
It's chaotic.
Take a character like Game & Watch. For years, people thought he was a mid-tier joke. Now? He’s a top-tier threat because his "Out of Shield" options are arguably the best in the history of the franchise. You can’t touch his shield. If you do, you’re getting hit with a frame-3 Up-B. It’s annoying. It’s effective. It’s Smash.
The meta has evolved from "Who is the strongest?" to "Who can deal with the most nonsense?"
The DLC Power Creep is Real (But Maybe Not Final)
We have to talk about the Fighters Passes. When Joker dropped, we thought Arsene was the most broken mechanic ever. Then Hero came out with RNG that could literally end a stock at 0%. Then Sephiroth. Then Kazuya Mishima.
Kazuya is a perfect example of why Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is so polarizing. He plays a different game. If a Kazuya player touches you once, and they have the "input" skill, you are likely dead. The Electric Wind God Fist (EWGF) changed the landscape of competitive play. It forced people to learn "DI" (Directional Influence) at a level they never had to before.
✨ Don't miss: Why Amazing Single Player Games Are Still the Only Thing Worth Your Time
But even with Kazuya’s "Touch of Death" combos, he has a glaring weakness: his disadvantage state. He’s heavy. He’s slow in the air. He gets comboed into oblivion. This is the beauty of the game’s design. Every "broken" character has a massive, glaring hole in their kit that keeps the game from becoming a one-sided slaughter.
The Rise of the "Hidden Bosses"
One of the coolest things about the current state of Ultimate is the geographic shift. For the longest time, the US and Japan were the two big pillars. But now? The world is catching up.
France has become a powerhouse. Mexico produced MkLeo, the greatest to ever do it, and Sparg0, who many believe is the current king. Japan's depth is terrifying—you can go to a local in Tokyo and get 3-stocked by a random Wii Fit Trainer who plays like a god.
This global competition keeps the game fresh. We are seeing characters like Pit, Palutena, and even King K. Rool get pushed to their limits in ways we didn't think possible in 2018.
Why You’re Probably Playing Wrong
Look, if you’re playing on Quickplay, you’re not playing the real game.
The lag on Nintendo’s online service is, frankly, embarrassing for a company of their size. It adds several frames of input delay, which completely changes the tier list. On WiFi, projectiles are king. Samus and Belmonts become top-tier threats because you can’t react to their projectiles in time.
If you want to actually get good at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you have to do two things:
- Buy a LAN adapter. Please.
- Go to a local tournament.
The "offline" game is a totally different beast. It’s faster, more precise, and way more rewarding. You’ll realize that the things you thought were "cheap" online are actually punishable if you have a stable connection.
The Technical Nuance People Miss
People think Smash is a "party game." Sure, it can be. But at a high level, it’s a game of micro-interactions.
Consider "Short Hopping." In previous games, it was a manual skill. In Ultimate, they added a shortcut (pressing two jump buttons at once), but doing it manually still gives you better control over your momentum. Then there’s "Attack Canceling" and "IDJ" (Instant Double Jump) combos.
The game is deep. Like, "I need to practice this one movement for four hours a day" deep.
Characters like Shulk require you to manage "Monado Arts" in real-time, changing your physics mid-air to survive or kill. Peach and Daisy players have to master "Float Canceling," which is basically a rhythm game hidden inside a fighter. The skill floor is low, but the ceiling is somewhere in the stratosphere.
What Happens Next?
Nintendo has moved on. There are no more balance patches. The game we have right now is the game we are going to have until the next console comes out.
Usually, that’s a death sentence. But for Ultimate, it’s a blessing. It means the meta can finally settle. We are seeing players find counters to the "unbeatable" DLC characters. We are seeing the return of "old" favorites like Diddy Kong and Wario.
The game is in a state of "unstable equilibrium." It’s balanced enough that anyone can win, but chaotic enough that it never feels fair. And that’s exactly why we keep playing.
How to Actually Improve Your Game Right Now
Stop worrying about the tier list. Unless you are in the top 0.1% of players, your character isn't the reason you’re losing. It’s your fundamentals.
- Learn to stage spike. Go into training mode and practice teching off the side of the stage. It will save your stocks more often than any fancy combo.
- Watch your opponent, not yourself. This is the hardest habit to break. If you’re looking at your own character, you’re already behind. You should know where you are by feel. Your eyes should be glued to the enemy.
- Master the ledge. In Ultimate, the ledge is a dangerous place. Learn your options: normal get-up, jump, roll, attack, or let go and re-grab (though be careful with ledge invincibility).
- Study the frame data. You don't need to memorize every number, but you should know which of your moves are "Safe on Shield." Use resources like Ultimate Frame Data to see which of your attacks can be punished.
The next step isn't just playing more; it's playing with intent. Analyze your replays. See where you get hit. Most of the time, it’s because you pressed a button when you should have just waited. Patience is the ultimate "buff" in this game.
Get a controller you like—most pros still use the GameCube controller for a reason—and find a training partner. The miracle of Smash Ultimate isn't just the roster; it's the fact that after all this time, we’re still finding new ways to knock each other off the screen.