Tier list

The tier list is a list that ranks all characters in order of their potential to win under tournament conditions, assuming equal skill on the part of each player, based on analysis of the metagame. Tier lists are commonly made for competitive fighting games and high level play, as well as strategy games that involve a selection of usable characters.

Characters individual matchups with other characters also affects their placement on the list. However, they do not truly determine a character's tier list ranking due to characters who are higher on the tier list have an even or disadvantageous match up with certain characters who are lower than them. For instance, in the tier list for v0.9a, may have a good or even matchup against. However, Bomberman's matchups with rest of the cast may be more positive then Fox's matchups with the rest of the cast. Character matchups can also affect their ranking on the tier list can be contributed to how well they do against characters who are higher than them. An example of this can be seen on the tier list demo v0.9a, where is at the top. Characters who are slightly lower than he is are at least able to hold their own against him better than characters who are lower on the list. In contrast characters who counter other characters who are borderline or lower on the list impact is actually lower.

The first Super Smash Flash has been considered a really unplayable game for competitive tournaments, as the metagame is extremely hard, if not impossible, to measure. The game has insane physics flaws that greatly differ from the normal Smash Bros. physics; most characters' only have five moves, most of which semi-spike enemies ridiculously far distances, and not all the characters character have a recovery move other than their midair jump. Special measurements had to be taken in order to construct a tier list. Its reboot, Super Smash Flash 2, on the other hand, ensures better physics that encompasses techniques and strategies that have proven useful during tournament matches; thus, the tier list for each game ranks and measures the expected competitive performance of every character, based upon analysis of these techniques and strategies, but only from the view of the current demo. The tier lists are produced by the Smash Flash Back Room, a small subforum in the McLeodGaming Forums.

Super Smash Flash tier list
This is the tier list made by the CSFBR that corresponds to December 23, 2015:

This is the second tier list created for Super Smash Flash (officially recognised), however, unlike the previous tier list, this was instead created by the CSFBR, a group who focus on datamining the game and providing matchups, as well as discovering exploits in the engine. The same factors were taken into consideration by the new people who made the tier list, who were DSwift, Ironed Sandwich and Skailler. Once again, the veracity of the tier list can be placed on doubt.

Super Smash Flash 2 tier list
This is the tier list from demo v0.9b made by the SFBR that corresponds to November 23, 2015:

This tier list was created based on the current state of the competitive meta (at that time) for the game while also taking into account the various tier lists compiled from many prominent players in the competitive scene. Unlike the previous lists, this one does not rank fighters via an arbitrarily-defined points system.

Controversies and misconceptions
Tier lists have been made for all of the competitively viable Smash Bros. games, from the original Super Smash Bros. to Brawl and even to fan games such as Smash Flash 2. The tier list's intended function is to predict which characters, when played at the highest level allowed for all given characters, will win under tournament conditions. Despite this, there are still misconceptions about the tier list, which lead to sometimes unwarranted criticism of it. There are many people in the Smash Bros. communities, including the Smash Flash 2 community, who disagree with the idea of tier lists. They commonly see the tier list as a "popularity contest," where the creators just put their personal best characters at the top, or think the list is written to deter players from choosing low-tiered characters. In the latter case, these people, known as "anti-tiers," argue that each characters' individual strengths and weaknesses balance them out. They state that tier lists should not exist because all characters can be played equally. More inexperienced anti-tierists will often boast that they can beat a level 9 AI with a character on the bottom of the list, and use that as a reason why tier lists are inaccurate.

To counter these claims, competitive players have created some counterarguments to the issue. A common counterargument against anti-tierism is that it is extremely difficult to perfectly balance a cast as diverse as that in Super Smash Flash 2 for competitive play. Even if measures had been taken to balance the game, the variables included would still cause the game to become at least slightly skewed towards characters whose strengths overshadow their weaknesses. Another counterargument is that since the tier list only predicts which characters would win if they were played at the top level under tournament rules, it should not affect any player who does not play in these conditions. Thus, many players should not care too much about the tier list if they're playing just for fun. Citing that one can defeat an AI with a low tier character is a weak claim because the AI in Smash games, including Super Smash Flash 2, have poor habits and do not properly utilize advanced techniques or mindgames, forcing players to learn the AI's specific flaws to defeat them, which can actually deter them from performing well against real players and reinforcing cerebral ability. Finally, even the lowest tier characters have professionals dedicated to using them, constantly finding new things about those characters that make them strong. With all these factors weighed in, tier lists are controversial and some players see it in a negative light.

However, because the official tier list of Super Smash Flash 2 is always changing, it does not get as much controversy. While there are some people that may dislike the tier list because they think it tries to dictate which characters to use, they also appreciate the tier lists for being fairer than the those from the official games. They generally like the ability of fighter to "take their turns" at the top of the tier lists. The latter fact is backed up by the idea that a fighter could be at the top of the tier list one version, yet the bottom of the next one. Because of this, arguments about the official tier list for Super Smash Flash 2 are fewer and farther between than those of the official games.