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TYM’s Tier List Discussion Thread

RoboCop

The future of law enforcement.
Administrator
Premium Supporter
This. To anyone still saying Noob is high tier character; literally take a few seconds to check his frame data. He loses his turn when he THINKS about pressing a button lmao.

Also I'd like to add the comment about KL being S tier
That is literally how people were talking about Cetrion up until just a few weeks ago. Theory fighters can debate frame data all day long, but when it comes down to it, a character is the sum of so much more than just their frames.
 

wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
My tier list of the top 3 most absurd comments in this thread thus far.

1. Geras struggling versus zoning

Dragon shows exactly why in this set. In most cases Geras can't punish air projectiles, which will force him to approach and use his f1 etc. to get in, creating really good opportunities to punish him.

Not to say he isn't top 2/3, he clearly is, but he does have weak points.
 

Ardul

Noob
This is quite misleading. Liu Kang does NOT have a 25/25/25/25 mindgame.

The gap after f43 can always be used for a counter with d3. Once this starts happening, Liu has to start throwing unsafe fireballs.

The risk/reward does not (!) favour Liu Kang. The defender could only use d3 and block and have better odds.

Thus it is a 50/50 at best and none, that Liu wants to use.

F4 and F43 is more of a mindgame.
Sorry but that's not true at all. Fireballs are unsafe, sure I don't doubt that, but it depends which fireball he uses (db1 or db1 AMP) the timming to punish them are different. Additionally you are not able to see at the beginning of the animation if it's normal fireball or AMP fireball. Even in practice is hard to punish both in reaction. If you are expecting AMP fireball and you block normal fireball in most of the cases your punish will be performed too late. If you are expecting normal fireball you will eat the second AMP fireball trying to punish. And while you are expecting this you are getting chip damage and being in -4.
So (even ignoring the f+4,3, throw option that can be reacted) you must read 1 option of 3 to punish him properly.

All of this talking about offline matches. Playing online matches with a ping higher than 100ms this is even worse, and f+4,3,u3 is harder to interrupt even after a good read.
 

TyCarter35

Bonafide Jax scrub
Only one I really play is Jax so I'll comment on him mainly. He's in a weird place where he can be anywhere from A+ to A-. Hunker Down is really only held back by having the shittiest combo game in the whole cast arguably and good zoning (even that's more than workable considering he builds heat easily in HK so bf3 is solid and db2 isn't too bad of a projectile tbh, GP should've stayed unblockable IMO for how slow it is). Losing a lot of his tick throws kinda sucked but can discourage poking wars with d1 (tho it is inconsistent sometimes) and d3 along with d12. He would easily be S tier if he had an improved combo game which is rlly the only "buff" he would need as bf2 has a mini mindgame of grab or mid via amp. GB is solid and gets around zoning a little better and has a reliable combo and better punish game. Amazing stagger options tho and down the line f33 and f2 into his overhead gaps will most likely be flawless blocked/fatal blowed more as the game ages which might push him down the list a tiny bit. F4 could use a little more range and has whiffed on crouching characters from my experience despite being a mid which I wouldn't mind seeing fixed. He will most likely rise even higher given characters like Scorp, Geras and EB will most likely be nerfed/adjusted first once the first patch comes in abt 2 months or so
 

TakeAChance

TYM White Knight
Sorry but that's not true at all. Fireballs are unsafe, sure I don't doubt that, but it depends which fireball he uses (db1 or db1 AMP) the timming to punish them are different. Additionally you are not able to see at the beginning of the animation if it's normal fireball or AMP fireball. Even in practice is hard to punish both in reaction. If you are expecting AMP fireball and you block normal fireball in most of the cases your punish will be performed too late. If you are expecting normal fireball you will eat the second AMP fireball trying to punish. And while you are expecting this you are getting chip damage and being in -4.
So (even ignoring the f+4,3, throw option that can be reacted) you must read 1 option of 3 to punish him properly.

All of this talking about offline matches. Playing online matches with a ping higher than 100ms this is even worse, and f+4,3,u3 is harder to interrupt even after a good read.
I'm sorry, but you are the one that is incorrect.

Liu kangs F43~fireball or ex fireball can be boiled down to the same read. For starters, you will always be crouching f43. If he commits to the u3, your d3 beats out his parry, the u3, and his stagger pressure. If he starts committing to ex low fire ball or low fireball, you have to make the guess and if you guess correctly the ex fireball is going to sail over your head and you are going to destroy him.

It's a risk reward that's highly in the defenders favour.
 

wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
Only one I really play is Jax so I'll comment on him mainly. He's in a weird place where he can be anywhere from A+ to A-. Hunker Down is really only held back by having the shittiest combo game in the whole cast arguably and good zoning (even that's more than workable considering he builds heat easily in HK so bf3 is solid and db2 isn't too bad of a projectile tbh, GP should've stayed unblockable IMO for how slow it is). Losing a lot of his tick throws kinda sucked but can discourage poking wars with d1 (tho it is inconsistent sometimes) and d3 along with d12. He would easily be S tier if he had an improved combo game which is rlly the only "buff" he would need as bf2 has a mini mindgame of grab or mid via amp. GB is solid and gets around zoning a little better and has a reliable combo and better punish game. Amazing stagger options tho and down the line f33 and f2 into his overhead gaps will most likely be flawless blocked/fatal blowed more as the game ages which might push him down the list a tiny bit. F4 could use a little more range and has whiffed on crouching characters from my experience despite being a mid which I wouldn't mind seeing fixed. He will most likely rise even higher given characters like Scorp, Geras and EB will most likely be nerfed/adjusted first once the first patch comes in abt 2 months or so
It will be interesting when people start to try flawless blocking those overheads. I think it could actually open up Jax's stagger game as people will be trying to scout the overhead and just block additional f33s, eat throws, etc.
 

TheGlow

Retired Noob
This. To anyone still saying Noob is high tier character; literally take a few seconds to check his frame data. He loses his turn when he THINKS about pressing a button lmao.

Also I'd like to add the comment about KL being S tier
I commented how 3 of 4 combos start high and only b1 is mid. They said shut up because its 9 frames. Feels like forever and the nature of having to commit to 1+3 which quite a few can punish easily.
 
MKX: Scorp, Subzero, Geras, Sonya, Erron Black
Good: Cassie, Jacqui, Jax, Baraka, Kabal, Liu Kang, Kitana, Noob Saibot, Cetrion
Alright: Kano, Kollector, Raiden, Johnny, Jade, Shao Khan, Kung Lao, Skarlet
Bugged/trash: Kotal Khan, Frost, Dvorah

Regarding S tier char: Scorp, Sub zero and Sonya, all have moves that are overtuned for MK11 (50/50s, f*ck neutral moves, vortex). Plus, no real weaknesses. Geras and Erron Black play MK11, but their buttons, frame data, damage, neutral, krushing blows (geras) and ability to close a game (erron) are just above the rest.

Good tier: this tier is where how everybody is supposed to be. They usually excel at something, and have a weak area.

Alright tier: they are just worst versions of the "good tier", need minor adjustments

Bugged/trash: these characters are straight bad, and even have some flaws that are so big that we don't know if it's intentional or are just bugged.
 
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Here's my tier list :


I don't like the "S+" tier and I don't think S tier should have more than 3 characters. So here's my reasoning for my list. The characters aren't arranged in a particular order

I used the best tournament variation for every character (or both if they are both viable)

S is reserved for characters with too many tools and/or overpowered tools. Geras (both variations) has too many of them and are all good. Erron Black has too many tools in 52 Kard Pickup. His Scud shot should be removed without nerfing it and replaced by another move. The Scud shot should be 2 slots and added in the third variation. Sonya Blade (Ring Master) would be A+ with her damage, but her projectile is too powerful, and the Energy Ring cancel should not allow her to be safe on a mixup in the corner and at the same time allowing her to juggle in the corner. It's one of them, not both, so S tier.

A+ is reserved for very solid characters but not strong enough to be considered as the top 3. Scorpion (both variations) and Sub Zero (Dead of Winter) are both contenders for the S tier but there are stronger characters as listed above. Cassie Cage (Digital Soldier) has a lot of useful tools and is dangerous anywhere in the neutral. Baraka (both variations) is insanely good, has only a few tools but they are really really good, he would be in S in a heartbeat if the tier had available slots.

A is for characters I consider as "balanced", not too weak, but not too strong. Some of them are slightly stronger than others in that tier, like Cetrion, but I didn't know who to swap in A+ to include her.

A- I usually don't like "-" versions of tiers, but A- is a tier for characters that would fit into the A category if they didn't have whiff issues on most of their strings. Johnny Cage, Kung Lao and Kano would be A to me if their hitboxes were good.

B - The B tier has the character with the least tools or at least unefficient tools at the moment. It has the weakest characters in the game.

C - I don't really know why I created that tier, I was probably influenced by other lists that rank her in her own tier. She is not far from the B tier tho.
 
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John_NX

Your circumstances are dire!
I haven't really versed against frost or played her. Can someone explain to me why she's so bad? The only thing I know is that she is punishable on her OH launcher.
 
I haven't really versed against frost or played her. Can someone explain to me why she's so bad? The only thing I know is that she is punishable on her OH launcher.
Her main punish s1 whiff on some many stuff (like scorp teleport depending on the side lol) that you literally have to lab every single punishable move to see what button you need to use.
All her high attacks have no range at all.
Worst pokes in the game.
Her best mid is 16 frame and you can't even stagger (-16 on block wtf), so yeah, with devorah, worst mid in the game.
Zoning is good... against characters with no teleport, or no double hitting projectiles (like 10% of the roster?).

B22 is literally the only game plan: B22 into throw, B22 into poke, B22 into spin...

And there is no reason to use another variation that's not ice machine, they are so bad I don't know if they were even tested.
 

Zoidberg747

My blades will find your heart
I haven't really versed against frost or played her. Can someone explain to me why she's so bad? The only thing I know is that she is punishable on her OH launcher.
I don't see Frost as bottom tier either. Her moves are pretty slow which probably has something to do with it, but her zoning is decent, she has a far reaching hit confirmable mid, decent corner game etc. She does have hitbox issues too though. I'd put her in the "ok" tier, I wouldn't put her with characters with glaring issues like Kotal Kahn and Dvorah.
 

xenogorgeous

.... they mostly come at night. Mostly.
Here's my tier list :


I don't like the "S+" tier and I don't think S tier should have more than 3 characters. So here's my reasoning for my list. The characters aren't arranged in a particular order

I used the best tournament variation for every character (or both if they are both viable)

S is reserved for characters with too many tools and/or overpowered tools. Geras (both variations) has too many of them and are all good. Erron Black has too many tools in 52 Kard Pickup. His Scud shot should be removed without nerfing it and replaced by another move. The Scud shot should be 2 slots and added in the third variation. Sonya Blade (Ring Master) would be A+ with her damage, but her projectile is too powerful, and the Energy Ring cancel should not allow her to be safe on a mixup in the corner and at the same time allowing for a juggle in the corner. It's one of them, not both, so S tier.

A+ is reserved for very solid characters but not strong enough to be considered as the top 3. Scorpion (both variations) and Sub Zero (Dead of Winter) are both contenders for the S tier but there are stronger characters as listed above. Cassie Cage (Digital Soldier) has a lot of useful tools and is dangerous anywhere in the neutral. Baraka (both variations) is insanely good, has only a few tools but they are really really good, he would be in S in a heartbeat if the tier had available slots.

A is for characters I consider as "balanced", not too weak, but not too strong. Some of them are slightly stronger than other in that tier, like Cetrion, but didn't know who to swap in A+ to include her.

A- I usually don't like "-" version of tiers, but A- is a tier for characters that would fit into the A category if they didn't have whiff issues on most of their strings. Johnny Cage, Kung Lao and Kano would be A to me if their hitboxes were good.

B - The B tier has the character with the tools or at least unefficient tools at the moment. It has the weakest characters in the game.

C - I don't really know why I created that tier, I was probably influenced by other lists that rank her in her own tier. She is not far from the B tier tho.
damn, this one tier list is pretty good and solid indeed .... very realistic , well done, sir ! :)
 

wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
I don't see Frost as bottom tier either. Her moves are pretty slow which probably has something to do with it, but her zoning is decent, she has a far reaching hit confirmable mid, decent corner game etc. She does have hitbox issues too though. I'd put her in the "ok" tier, I wouldn't put her with characters with glaring issues like Kotal Kahn and Dvorah.
imo her hitbox issues are pretty crippling, the major one being her s1 which is really inconsistent.
 
14681

This is just my simple attempt. I don't like all the +/- stuff, or a bunch of levels of S-tier, or etc., because I think tier lists can only really apply to characters relative to each other. The tiers, even if they represent similar concepts across many games, only have concrete meaning within a given game. Here are my explanations:

14681

S Tier: Characters that basically change the nature of the game. Characters at the top of this tier dominate just by existing, and losing with them at anything but the highest level mostly means you beat yourself. Characters at the bottom of this tier have to actually implement a game plan to dominate. However, it's not particularly hard to get that game plan started. Characters in S Tier need to be normalized (not nerfed) in ways that keep their uniqueness and strength while forcing them to play the same game everyone else has to play.

A Tier: Characters that are undeniably powerful but not fundamentally game-altering. Characters at the top of this tier are extremely strong in multiple important areas, but they have to be played to win. Matchup knowledge is relevant to them, but their game plan is likely to dictate parts of the match regardless of their opponent's game plan. Characters toward the bottom of this tier have diverse tools that are slightly less strong or that leave some weak area in their game plan. Matchup knowledge becomes more important to getting their plan implemented but, when they do, they dominate. In general, I would like to see every character in the game fall somewhere within A Tier.

B Tier: Characters that have obvious strong areas and obvious weak areas. Characters at the top of this tier can play a strong game when they're on point and know their matchups, but their game plan has flaws and can be disrupted, putting them at a strong disadvantage. Characters toward the bottom of this tier have an obvious game plan, but they lack some tools necessary for executing it well and are therefore not really competitive with anyone above them outside of special circumstances. Most characters in B Tier need a few buffs, though I would make exceptions for characters who were SUPER strong in one area but compensated by being quite weak in another.

C Tier: Characters that have so many obvious flaws that their overall game plan is kind of difficult to identify, let alone implement. Characters at the top of this tier can occasionally show up and really surprise you in the hands of an expert character loyalist, but not much more than that. Characters toward the bottom really struggle to get much going for more than a match or so at a time. C-Tier characters need substantial buffs in multiple areas.

D Tier: Characters that really are just not part of the game outside of novelty. They either have no obvious game plan or are so far from implementing it that they may as well not have one. There's no real reason to make a distinction within this tier. Characters in D Tier actually benefit more from reworks than buffs, because buffing them moderately without changing much will mostly just push them up one or two tiers at most. However, buffing their existing tools enough to make them competitive is likely to have some unintended effect that catapults the character into S Tier.
 
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Juggs

Lose without excuses
Lead Moderator
Premium Supporter
I think the most downplayed characters right now are Jade, Frost, and Noob. And the weird thing I don’t think Frost players are the ones downplaying her. Also Baraka for some reason is being downplayed. I think it’s because his strengths don’t seem as hard to deal with when playing an average Baraka. Playing an average Cassie, Scorpion, Sub, Geras, Sonya, Erron, etc is tougher to deal with so it’s easier to downplay Baraka and other strong characters like him. It also makes it easier to complain about those mentioned characters. You see them more often and you see them doing well more often. Their good stuff is easier to learn, use, and understand to the average player.
 

wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
I think the most downplayed characters right now are Jade, Frost, and Noob. And the weird thing I don’t think Frost players are the ones downplaying her. Also Baraka for some reason is being downplayed. I think it’s because his strengths don’t seem as hard to deal with when playing an average Baraka. Playing an average Cassie, Scorpion, Sub, Geras, Sonya, Erron, etc is tougher to deal with so it’s easier to downplay Baraka and other strong characters like him. It also makes it easier to complain about those mentioned characters. You see them more often and you see them doing well more often. Their good stuff is easier to learn, use, and understand to the average player.
Regarding Frost, I just feel like if you can't punish something like a scorpion teleport with you s1 due to hitboxes randomly changing depending on which side you are, you can't be a good character. All her other tools are decent otherwise.
 

M2Dave

Zoning Master

Dragon shows exactly why in this set. In most cases Geras can't punish air projectiles, which will force him to approach and use his f1 etc. to get in, creating really good opportunities to punish him.

Not to say he isn't top 2/3, he clearly is, but he does have weak points.
Anyone can do "selective linking" to prove a point.

Here is mine.


Generally speaking, Geras does not struggle versus zoning. As another person previously mentioned, the sand trap is one of the very best anti-zoning tools in the game. Only Scorpion's teleport and Jade's glow can be argued to be better, and I would agree that they are.
 

wsj515

This is my billionth life cycle.
Anyone can do "selective linking" to prove a point.

Here is mine.


Generally speaking, Geras does not struggle versus zoning. As another person previously mentioned, the sand trap is one of the very best anti-zoning tools in the game. Only Scorpion's teleport and Jade's glow can be argued to be better, and I would agree that they are.
Dragon has obviously leveled up in the matchup since NLBC, he hadn't started to enforce the meta-game as I described. The funny thing about the video you linked though is that not once did sonic punish Dragon's air laser with sand trap, Dragon even punished various sand trap attempts with geyser.

Makes you wonder why Sonic would used Jacqui against Dragon in the Summit instead of Geras...
 

Clampa_

Learn from this.
Sonya has low pokes that could assure that she could jail on hit and allow her B1 high string to be unduckable.
She also has some safe mid options to mix in to force people to respect her. I agree she isn't absolutely braindead, but she could definitely open people up easier than more than half the cast and her damage makes it so her risk/reward is skewed HEAVILY in her favor in many matchups.

Kitana doesn't only have B2 and grab mixups.
Like Semiij has displayed, instant jump2 still combos into a grounded combo on hit and it is basically a psuedo-instant divekick that dodges the opponent's attacks in the close to mid-range neutral. She also has her B1 string that is very underrated because the anticipation for the third hit flawless block opens up for even more grab mixups.

Her fan is also only 15 frame startup. Sure, it's not the crazy amazing fan toss from previous games, but because it's 15f startup, it could be used about jump distance as a pseudo-ranged-poked which catches almost any action the opponent does. This character has tools. She doesn't have anything spectacular, but she has the tools to win in most of her matchups.

Kano has things that make the opponent respect him but his risk/reward is very unfavorable.
Air Ball is incredible; it's a great whiff punish tool just like Kung Lao's divekick. It's his best move by far because it could be used on reaction so it doesn't need to be yolo'd ever. All his other tools rely on the fear of his command grab and normal grabs. His command grab has great recovery and sets up for good oki, but again, his tools to enforce his grab game are all punishable or too slow to be used up close.

His low pokes don't jail enough that he is granted a free mixup like Sonya and he doesn't have a good safe mid like Sonya that he could use to gain respect up close. Mashing out D1 vs him is a legitimately a good idea most of the time. You risk either taking a low poke that doesn't assure a mixup, or you force Kano to start F2ing which is full combo punishable on block and can't even be staggered because it's a single hit.

His F4 overhead is also 25f startup and once someone is fully adjusted to the matchup, you'll be fortunate to land one F4 a set. B3 is good at mid range, but with 17frame startup, it can't reliably be used up close and doesn't compliment his game enough to make up for his shortcomings in other places. His knives are also 20f startup, so while they do force some characters to approach on him, he can't surprise people with it at mid-range because it's very reactable unlike other faster projectiles like Sonya, Johnny, Cassie, Baraka, and Kitana's.

He isn't terrible. He is actually good if you condition your opponent on wakeup good enough. Honestly though, other characters with no command grab at all have better grab mixup games than him and it really is his only reliable strategy at a higher level.
Kano's d1 does essentially jail into b1, which believe it or not is hit confirmable into kano ball, with practice ofc.