With every new character added toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,there’s a new patch, and version 7.0.0 brings some pretty drastic changes along with the latest newcomerByleth. Overall, there’s solid defensive changes for a majority of the cast, as well as some standout balance changes for certain characters that could potentially shake up the current competitive meta in a significant way.
Shield Size Changes
The most prominent change inSuper Smash Bros.Ultimate’s 7.0.0 patch are the changes made to shield sizes on the majority of the roster. Since blocking inSuper Smash Bros.has a health-style mechanic, shields decrease in size the longer the player blocks, meaning fighters can’t block forever without getting hit or having their shield broken altogether. But, if the player hits a shielding opponent in an exposed area outside of their shield, they can potentially get hit out of their shield because some moves shield-poke.
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The shield-poking mechanic has been prevalent in almost everySmashgame, but to varying degrees. InUltimateshields were changed to be much more vulnerable in comparison to the previous gameSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, where shields were very strong and heavily dictated the game’s defensive competitive meta. As a result, shield-poking happens more often inUltimatesince it’s a much more offensive meta and shield strength was weakened from the previous iteration.
This most recent patch adjusts shield size on several characters to help mitigate issues with inconsistent shield-pokes. Characters like Squirtle, Olimar,and Pichu each had their shield’s increased in sizeto match their actual body size and hurtbox. In previous patch 3.1.0, small characters got nerfed by getting their hurtboxes increased in size, due to their original hurtboxes being so small that it was very difficult (for most of the cast) to even land a hit on these characters. Because they made their hurtboxes bigger, but did not properly adjust their shield size in tandem with the hurtbox, these character would often get shield-poked even at full shield health.
With 7.0.0, characters like Olimar don’t have to fear getting poked early, so blocking is a viable option for them now. Several other characters had similar issues, so many of them got increased shield sizes as well. Some even got temporary invincibility for exposed appendages during the shield startup animation, meaning less shield pokes before the full block is even up.
Character Buffs
Along with the overall changes, there were several specific characters who saw massive (and in some cases perplexing) improvements to their movesets.
First, let’s note some of the minor buffs for various characters. Jab/rapid-jab attacks were buffed for Captain Falcon and Duck Hunt, making them easier to connect consecutive hits. Mii Brawler’s Suplex command grab was fixed to make it easier to connect within range. Incineroar’s side special command grab now does more knockback to surrounding opponents, not the opponent in the command grab attack. Little changes here and there, and while characters like Captain Falcon could use a bit more love, it’s still all positive changes.
Samus and Dark Samus(Note: Dark Samus is an echo fighter of Samus, so each subsequent mention of Samus also applies to Dark Samus) received some pretty important buffs to a lot of their moves. Samus' up smash and down smash attacks received a knockback boost, meaning increased launch distance when they’re hit. Samus' up throw also got increased launch distance making it more of a K.O. throw than before. The biggest change for Samus is they adjusted the way her “Zair” (Aerial Grab Attack, or Tether attack) works. Her zair attack now lasts longer and does more damage, making her zoning capability even better than before. Pair that with her knockback buffs to her smash attacks, and she becomes an even better zoner character.
SeveralLegend of Zeldacharacters got a lot of love this patch.Zelda’s secret identity Sheikgot some serious buffs, including one very familiar to her from the last game. Sheik’s neutral special, the needle projectile, now has less landing lag when used in the air, making it easier to combo out of. Sheik’s effective grab range was also increased, so it’s less likely to whiff at very close range. Her down smash and up special recovery now have increased knockback, making her K.O. options much better for a character that’s always been plagued by K.O. power issues. They also fixed an issue with Sheik’s grenade side special so that now the explosion activates regardless of what attack it comes into contact with, as well as making it faster and more useful.
Zelda herself received some very important improvements to her moveset, many of which were damage buffs. Her side tilt attack, down special, up air attack, and side special attack all got damage buffs. Up air and side special in particular also had their sweetspot (high damage) hits adjusted to last longer and be easier to land. Along the lines of that, Zelda’s neutral air attack was fixed so that the multiple hits connected together consecutively and more consistently. Zelda’s down special buff is a little confusing, since it was already a very strong move with high knockback and shield damage. Then again, anything that makes Zelda a stronger zoner character is better, so it’ll be interesting to see here place in the tier list after this update.
AnotherZeldacharacter received even more questionable buffs: Young Link. A character that’s already sufficiently higher on most competitive tier lists received some significant buffs. Up air, up smash, and forward throw attacks received increased launch distance improvements. The first attack of Young Link’s rapid jab is now slightly faster, a move that was already relatively quick. Young Link also received a buff similar to Samus with his zair attack, but they also adjusted the knockback angle to allow for even greater combo potential. These buffs are important and scary because it makesYoung Link an even better version of himself, without significantly changing how he’s played.
The last of the patchedZeldacharacters is Toon Link, who received some relatively minor buffs. His dash attack has slightly less endlag and his back air attack is just a bit faster than previously. His down air (weak hitbox) and down smash attack now have increased launch distance. He also has a very similar buff to his zair attack to what Young Link received. Again, very minor buffs that aren’t as meta-changing as the aforementioned characters, but it helps.
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Dr. Mario also received some small but important buffs to his moveset as well. Both his side tilt attack and neutral air attack deal more damage and knockback, with neutral air being stronger specifically on the strong hitbox. His down tilt attack does less knockback but more hitstun, giving it better combo potential and easier to land other consecutive hits. Finally, his down air lasts longer now, making it easier to connect on opponents. Similarly minor like Toon Link’s buffs, butDr. Mario’s improvements lean into his specialtiesas a character more and improve his potential ever so slightly.
Cloud also received some good buffs, worth noting here considering he’s suffered quite a bit on tier lists sinceUltimatecame out. Most significantly, his recovery has been improved so he’s less susceptible to edge guarding on the ledge. There’s still a lot of hang time between when he reaches the top of his up special recovery and when he grabs the ledge, but it’s much better than before. He’s also had his dash attack and up smash attack buffed to be slightly faster and stronger, both very important moves in his toolkit. Lastly, his down special charge the Limit Gauge much faster now, taking around 5 seconds to fully charge the gauge as opposed to the previous 6-7 seconds.Anything that makes Cloud better is a positive note, considering he’s been severely down-graded when compared to hisSuper Smash Bros. for Wii Uversion.
Lastly, Ryu and Ken saw some very impactful improvements to their kits, greatly improving their viability in mid and close-range. Their side special attacks (Tatsumaki Senpukyaku) now makes their legs fully invincible for the duration of the move on the ground (not in the air). They also got character specific buffs, like how Ryu’s hits only once but is now much stronger and has a longer high-damage window, while Ken’s base damage is still the same but makes it easier to hit multiple times. They both had their strong down tilt knockback angle adjusted to make it easier for extending combos. Ken and Ryu also had their down smash changed so that it’s slightly weaker, but can now be special-cancelled into any of their respective special moves. Also Ryu’s neutral special (Hadoken) got buffed to do more shield stun, and the Shakenatsu special variant is easier to hit multiple times. These changes are hugefor theStreet Fightershotos, who often struggle in any match-up that keeps them out of close range.
Character Nerfs
As with all good news, there’s bad news as well. Here are the few major nerfs inUltimate7.0.0. that make a pretty big impact on the game competitively.
Zero Suit Samusreceived a small but significant nerf. Her down special buries opponents for a shorter amount of time, meaning combos out of this move will be much harder to execute at all percents. It’s one move, but it’s a pretty important aspect of her toolkit that we’re going to see less follow-ups from now. She’s still a great character otherwise, just a slight adjustment to her combo and punish game.
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This patch finally sees Joker, who is inarguably one of the top 5 best characters in the game, finally receive a balance change. Two main things are altered significantly in Joker’s moveset: his aerial down special and his comeback mechanic, Arsene. Joker’s aerial down special hitbox was adjusted significantly so that it only hits enemies directly under him, whereas previously it had a hitbox under and out to the sides of Joker as well. Now, down special requires more precision for use as it doesn’t cover Joker’s sides in the air, so unless directly under him, he’s very vulnerable to attack.
Arsene, Joker’s gauged comeback mechanic, had its properties change to make it harder to keep Arsene longer. Specifically, damage to Joker while Arsene is summoned reduces his active time so Arsene disappears much faster when hit by opponents. These adjustments are near-perfect for Joker. He’ll still be a veritable competitive force from those who play Joker at a higher level, but a lot of the potentially unfair advantages he had previously are mitigated by these changes.Joker will still be a very popular characterafter this patch, just not unfairly better than other characters.
And finallyPalutena took a considerable hitwith these nerfs. Mainly, her down throw was adjusted so that it’s harder to combo out of high percent ranges. Down throw is one of her main tools for combos and K.O. confirms, but now there are no true K.O. combos at high percent out of down throw. Her multi-hit neutral air attack was also adjusted in a couple ways to reduce its edge-guarding strength. The last hit of neutral air now has reduced knockback, and the size of the last hitbox is now smaller, making it harder to land in the air.
These changes are mainly due to her being able to use neutral air to edge guard and K.O. opponents very consistently, since the move is long-lasting and hits all around Palutena. She did receive some buffs in an attempt to counteract these changes, knockback increases on her down smash as well as up tilt attacks. But both are very situational and aren’t common in competitive play, so we may see Palutena drop off in competitive play.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateand the full DLC character pack 1 are available now for Nintendo Switch
