Playing online is a vastly different experience when playing Smash Ultimate. Not only does it feel a bit slower, for one has to account for lag that is associated with playing in Wifi battles, but even the character selection is a bit different. One might see a bit more people playing Ness or Young Link than they might like, but oftentimes this is due to the character feeling better in an online setting. This can be attributed to a few factors, but the main ones are typically that of slower reaction time due to lag, or moves not responding the same way when input offline, which is also due to lag.

Now that this is cleared up, here are a few characters worth trying out now that the only way to compete competitively is through Wifi.

Cloud

The Final Fantasy 7 hero is already a popular pick in the Wifi scene. This is largely due to him having a huge range advantage and players not being able to respond quickly enough if they are not familiar with the match-up. Cloud also has good spammable options out-of-shield or when camping for limit in the form of his Up-Special, Neutral Special, or even Back-Air.

Cloud's biggest weakness stems from his recovery, which is completely vertical and easy to punish. However, in an online setting people tend to play a bit more defensive, not wanting to take the risk of being off-stage as much, due to being scared of lagging in an inopportune moment. Since Cloud also has a kill move in the form of Back-Air if off-stage, it can be a little scary to contest Cloud in certain situations, especially if you are at a higher percent.

Cloud is already viewed as a solid character, but in Wifi, he is an absolute monster, and he has enough Wifi tournament results to prove it.

Greninja

The ninja pokemon is finally beginning to see good results in tournament play, albeit Wifi tournaments. Having high mobility, along with a decent amount of KO options and good range on a lot of his attacks, it’s a bit surprising to see that only recently has Greninja been picking up steam.

Greninja has plenty of moves that can easily be utilized in an offline setting. Moves like his Dash Attack that comes out frame 7, or Neutral Jab that comes out frame 3, are easy moves to execute whether you are playing aggressive or defensive. Plus since he is a combo heavy character, moves like Up-Tilt or Down-Tilt are easy combo starters that can lead to damage being racked up at early percent, and can potentially lead to a kill with moves such as Up-Smash or Forward Smash. This along with his stellar recovery makes Greninja an easy pick up for people that want to experiment with a more combo based character.

Shulk

When it comes to characters with high ceilings in terms of results, Shulk is one that immediately comes to mind. Shulk’s biggest strength is that he has one of the longest disjointed ranges in the game, which means he can punish players who can be reckless in their approach and not properly distance themselves.

With moves like Up-tilt that have great vertical range, he can play really well at the ledge, along with him having very strong smash attacks that can also close out stocks. On top of that, for only having an average aerial speed, he does have a good aerial moveset, for moves like Neutral Air or Forward Air not only have good range, but low end lag.

But where the potential in Shulk lies is in understanding his Neutral Special, the Monado Arts. These arts have the capability to change the properties of Shulk himself, meaning you can increase his speed, his knockback, etc., but at the cost of another property. What this ends up doing is not only giving yourself a clear advantage/disadvantage state, but it allows you to adapt to different playstyles, thus making him much more difficult to fight. Of course, knowing what art to use and when takes a lot of experience and practice, but seeing how a character with long range and not susceptible to being punished as much in an offline setting, the payoff can be huge for picking up this sword fighter.

Hero

Although this is beginning to seem like a list that is promoting sword fighters, the reasoning behind picking up Hero is slightly different. Like the other sword fighters mentioned previously, Hero excels in advantage state for he has good disjoints and range. This coupled with the fact that he cannot get edge guarded or pressured as effectively in an online setting helps in maintaining his advantage. And spells like Bounce that can be summoned with his Down Special, really help against projectiles that are more commonly seen online.

The reason as to why one should try him out now, however, is more due to that fact that you might not have the opportunity to play him offline at all. Due to the randomness that comes with his Crit Strike, which can happen at any point in the game, along with spells like Hocus Pocus, many tournaments have outright banned him from being played, for people feel as if he can be a bit unfair. Plus, with tournaments that have players from all over the world, they are at a clear disadvantage if they cannot read the native language in which the game is being played, for not being able to read the spells makes fighting that much more difficult.

It is understandable as to why Hero may not be seen offline, so might as well enjoy him at his fullest in online matches.

Samus

Samus is another character who is starting to receive some spotlight due to recent tournament results. Based on those results, it is becoming apparent as to why she is seen as a real threat online.

One of the main reasons as to why she does so well is due to having many good projectiles. Her Neutral Special, Charge Shot, is really fast and strong, and can be a bit difficult to react to online. The move is great for combos, kills, or simply racking up damage. This along with her aerials that cover a lot of space and do a surprising amount of damage, Samus becomes a bit more difficult to deal with if you decide to fight her in the air. While a lot of her moves have high end lag, it becomes more difficult to punish while playing online, for you cannot react as quickly.

Another contributing factor in her success stems from her playstyle fitting better online. Whether she wants to camp you to set up her charge shot or just throw out projectiles and space out with her aerials, her disadvantage state becomes difficult to punish as it requires the player to react to her general movement. We already established it is much more difficult to react online compared to offline, so this ultimately betters Samus’s disadvantage state as a whole.

Min Min

Min Min is the latest addition to the Smash Ultimate roster. At the time of writing this, Min Min has only been released for a little over a month, and people have experimented with her enough to have a basic understanding of how to properly utilize her moveset.

One thing that is certain is that she has a strong neutral game, which is due to her having so much range in her ground attacks and grabs. However, weaknesses can be exploited easily depending on the match up, for she has a less than stellar recovery in her Up-Special and generally has a poor disadvantage state.

However, she makes up for this with good edge guarding tools in the form her Dragon Smash attack, which can lead to some pretty cheeky kills if your opponent is not aware of the hitbox. That alongside the sheer power that comes from her Megawatt punches, which can quickly rack up damage and can combo into other moves, make her a threat if you cannot close the gap. And although her Up-Special is not great for recovery, it is a decent tool to reposition yourself on stage, for it travels higher when grounded, along with being able to use it to kill opponents in the air with Up-Air at higher percent.

Min Min is definitely a character to try out, for although she may feel a bit unorthodox in the sense that she does not have traditional special moves, learning her neutral and comboing her punches can be a rewarding feeling if properly executed.

Verdict

There are so many characters to try in Smash Ultimate. Experimenting with characters online adds a bit of depth, for it allows you to understand interactions and perhaps gain insight as to why certain characters are better offline versus online. While characters like Ness, Young Link, and Zelda seem to flood the online experience, checking out characters like these can be refreshing, especially if you are not used to playing them. So go ahead and try them out, and who knows, maybe you end up picking up one of these characters offline as well.