A Tale of Two Top Tiers

[@duccgod]

Finally a video that combines my love for smash and hatred for the britsh monarchy

[@mario-nk7be]

I feel like a takeaway is that meta knight is a victim of the environment he was in. He was disallowed from pushing forward as he was supposed to by the mechanics of the game, and those same mechanics helped in making his neutral so oppressive

[@gravity_cow]

This just makes his name even more appropriate Perhaps he was never a king, but a mere knight to the whims of the game's meta, stuck in a board full of pawns. The pawns saw him as a king, but he never truly had control over his kingdom, or even himself.

[@cise3895]

@@gravity_cow Holy shit this goes hard

[@xaevius5319]

cut the bs alright. you think that if meta knight wasn't a "victim" and "he was allowed to be himself" that he still wouldn't be oppressive as shit? idc if up air is "not used how it was intended" it's still broken af.

[@ndescruzur4378]

@@gravity_cow and he was the meta

[@liampullman1198]

@@xaevius5319 mad?

[@ThatWolfArrow]

For the longest time I've held the opinion that a healthy top tier is strong by leaning into the mechanics of the game they're in as far as possible, while an unhealthy top tier is strong because they have aspects of their kit that subvert aspects of the game altogether. And this video elaborates on that idea in a super well put way!

[@anothenblue2630]

At the same time, it's also Brawl and Meta Knight is by no means the outlier. The real problem is the *game* being unhealthy rather than any specific character.

[@ThatWolfArrow]

@Anothen Blue That is very true. Basically all the top tiers in brawl are as strong as they are because of them having tools that subvert Brawl's mechanics in some form. And yet the lower tier characters of brawl are down there in no small part because of how oppressive Brawl's mechanics are. Goes to show how important both character balance and system balance are.

[@anothenblue2630]

@@ThatWolfArrow and then you have Marth who just didn't care about any of the changes because swordiest are naturally a very strong archetype, especially in an environment when trading blows is all you're really doing.

[@NeoBoneGirl]

I would say that Meta Knight is actually playing Brawl the way it was intended. Brawl was made to be way slower than Melee intentionally, with less combo opportunities and movement. If they game were faster, and more combo oriented, you would have a top tier who is strong because his movement and combo game are oppressive and with his speed he can choose which engagements happen, and that they happen on his terms, like Fox would. Because Brawl is so slow, Meta Knight adapted to it perfectly by slowing down, but people just thought that was really boring, and so stopped playing.

[@anothenblue2630]

@@NeoBoneGirl well, they stopped playing because Brawl was awful in general, Meta Knight was the least of their worries. Brawl being more like Melee would still make him an obnoxious top tier rather than a good one.

[@Ludvix]

Bro ur editing is getting CRAZY good

[@NathanielScar]

eyy a man of culture

[@realDadlab]

Actually outdid yourself on the visuals for this one. Incredible stuff as always

[@zachstarattack7320]

an a press os an a press

[@DrSnegg]

​@@zachstarattack7320different guy

[@Baiken_3D]

The editing of scenes is so slick and striking, I love the use of contrast! I’m super impressed with where your videos have gone in such short time, keep it up!

[@1inimilian567]

What happened to your command dash!. And why are you a terrible defensive character now?!

[@adambaryliuk3393]

@@1inimilian567 Strive happened.

[@gatorkittygaming]

yo is that the real Baiken Guilty Gear?

[@Qysmuth]

I don't know why but hearing "There was two kings; a knight of the skies, and a fox from the stars" gives me unnecessary world building bliss.

[@lorenzodellisola8199]

maybe because of your sexual orientation

[@grantsummers4164]

Wow Leon I didn't know you could do frame-perfect multishines like that. Inspiring display

[@guillaumechau6082]

Yeah, his technique and skill is unlike anything i've ever seen out of a Melee player. Truly inspiring stuff.

[@ProjectXv2]

Fox very much has those Akuma vibes. An EXCEEDINGLY powerful character but…they dance on the head of a pin. Akuma typically has among the highest damage output, speed, and great mobility. But he often has the lowest HP in the game by a notable margin. One or two mistakes can literally cost him the whole round. It’s thrilling~!

[@FortuneKOF]

very accurate. the same could be said for mr karate in KOF XIII. very high damage output and low hop for offensive pressure but in neutral his range is stubby and he has no hard knockdowns. he's a knowledge check in a sense as you shouldn't be losing to any run of the mill player using him haha

[@Eji1700]

I think fox is miles better than akuma in how it feels to play vs him, mostly because of the nature of combos on platform fighters being more dynamic/creative. Watching an akuma flowchart me until I get a good read, and doing the same optimal combo I always do to rip his bar in half, gets old faaast.

[@ProjectXv2]

@@Eji1700 I...think you missed the point of the comparison...and clearly haven't watched enough Third Strike or SFIV gameplay. ^^;

[@ProjectXv2]

@@FortuneKOF Mr.Karate is REALLY scary in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.

[@kingoftheseas9991]

Doesn’t SF6 have equal health bars? If not, how are they going to balance him there lol

[@OatmealCreamPie]

Meta Knight, a character that is a textbook lesson in not just fighting games, but all competition games, stresses the importance of ensuring a character "Shares Neutral", because if a character is either in Advantage or Disadvantage with no Neutral to give, they are inherently a bad character.

[@Eji1700]

I don't think that's super accurate, and it's exacerbated by brawls complete lack of combos/setups due to how their hitstun worked. Plenty of characters are "feast or famine" types. You have the glass cannons like Akuma, or you have the all offense no defense types like Bison. Heavy focused grapplers and zoners are this way as well (gief/sim).

[@illford]

Tbf they are ah least cool

[@donut2111]

This isn't true. Archetypes like puppet characters are inherently like what you're describing in that they generally function in either an advantage or disadvantage state and rarely exist in an in between. No matter if they're top tier, bottom tier, or mid tier this is an almost guaranteed constant of their design and they're still well made and can be well balanced

[@dunkdon158]

@@donut2111cringe. Pain. Suffering. If you’re going to write a poem about video game characters being too good, at least finish the poem. You just gave up halfway through. If you want to make us feel physical pain, go all the way.

[@donut2111]

@@dunkdon158 huh?

[@zombieraddish]

I can't think of a better way to remedy the broad misconceptions among casual smash players about Melee Fox (and to some extent Melee in general) than pointing to this video. Juxtaposing Fox and Meta Knight is such an eloquent way of demonstrating Fox's contribution to the overall health of his game, and along with the tone and writing of this video, it manages to avoid the anxious defensiveness that many melee players (myself included) have when trying to defend the game to other smashers who don't give it a fair shake because of the memes or whatever. It really conveys the fun of melee without coming off as "fanatical." Banger content, right up there with AsumSaus

[@xolotltolox7626]

Melee is an extremely flawed game to be fair, it is horrendous to control for one because of the lack of input buffering WHICH LITERALLY EVERY OTHER GAME AT THE TIME HAD even other fighting games, which means you are punished for pressing an action even just a frame to early, which is just frankly bad game design

[@moooky52]

@@xolotltolox7626 horrendous skill issue

[@xolotltolox7626]

@@moooky52 just because you can get used to objectively bad game design doesn't make it not bad craftsmanship

[@anothenblue2630]

@@xolotltolox7626 I'd rather have no buffer than something like Ultimate where the game decides what you want instead.

[@zekmaster644]

@@xolotltolox7626 aka "I can't time my inputs correctly wah wah"

[@ChibiMalzahar]

If Fox and Meta Knight are kings then Bayonetta is like Hella in Thor Ragnorok. One day she just showed up, said hey Im queen now, tried to rule, they didn't like her, so she killed everybody, and then Asgard blew up. Even after they nerfed her we knew that no character was even close to the God of Death herself. Every interaction is a losing proposition for the opponent because if they guess correctly they put her in disadvantage where she's second only to brawl Meta Knight in not actually being that disadvantaged, but if BAYONETTA guesses right she gets a stock. Smash Bros is designed around percentages where riskier moves kill earlier, a character that can kill whenever off of whatever completely breaks that system. This is especially bad considering we ran tournaments with only 2 stocks and she has no losing matchups (only a couple are even. At worst Pikachu or Diddy were -1). Even if you were up by a stock and a half on her, it would probably still take Bayo less openings to win from that position so you were always losing. She's the ultimate example of why risk/reward matters to a game

[@cideofsacae]

and Steve is, as opposed to a king, an external conquering empire that exerts its influence over everything in the kingdom without being beholden to a single one of that conquered kingdom's own laws

[@Parpeing]

​@@cideofsacae we know that Nintendo hates competitive play but my theory is that they will do that for all the next smash games Plant a tyran towards the last dlc drop that is

[@writinggoose6059]

​@@Parpeing Nintendo: the CIA of competitive smash

[@Parpeing]

@@writinggoose6059 i thought it was too mean for my american friend's sensibilities lol

[@nonamepasserbya6658]

@@Parpeing Quite ingenious, the best way to quell an uprising of competition is to put an unkillable god as the wall that stops anything from trying. IF that doesn't work, just add 1 or 2 more walls and make it an oligarchy Then again Tekken does something similar with Leroy and Fahkumram. Lookie lookie Tekken 8 coming soon

[@ricardoludwig4787]

Theres some nuance that couldnt fit into a video this short, but this is such an incredible way to put it for anyone who isnt already into smash, and also is versatile enough to easily be applied to other games

[@orbitalape]

Seeing these videos compared to the older ones is pretty wild, your old videos got me into traditional fighting games but these new ones are just next level. all the animations you make for these are crazy and give your videos incredible charm.

[@noah-ux2cz]

He’s like FUNKe’s fighting game counterpart

[@Gaminginvrrr]

@@noah-ux2czhe even has the slightly depressed mascot

[@MrMockRock]

This video showed me how much Smash channels are slacking, including me, and it's not even from a Smash channel. Incredible stuff!

[@kait6787]

ur just not rly looking.

[@Ramsaur]

I'm an old brawl player and I cannot thank you enough for taking such a nuanced approach to this topic. Every time someone mentions brawl and MK it's just "lul game sux cuz tripping and MK is unbeatable" You have no idea how much I appreicate such a well thought out and nuanced take that I actually fully agreed with here. You earned a sub my friend

[@powerowl2120]

Brawl Boomers unite!

[@logiepro76]

Great vid! Will add some stuff for those interested of why Fox is more tolerated than meta knight. - One thing not mentioned in the video is because of the fact the Meta Knight is constantly in the air, that means you can't really grab him, everyone else is confined due to slow air movement, MK being the exception which means that whilst all the top tiers can chain grab mk, the more important part is being able to contest MK like with lasers or swords, or ice climbers who have the easiest chain grab because whenever MK tries to wall you out you can de-synch to punish it and kill him, this is also what contributed to brawls slow pace. - Secondly, Defensive Fox is a really good character, whilst you were talking about how is options retreating are bad, you fail to mention important how Fox can punish you for approaching badly. Lasers build chip, shine having a frame of invincibility, godlike grab game, and Nair, allow him to play a very campy game if he wants to, so I don't think that's a great example of how he exemplifies Melee. On the other hand, him being combo food is entirely true, and is what keeps Fox from being overbearing to the point of killing the game.

[@CanadianBaconPwnage]

Everyone learns to combo Fox because Fox is one of the most fun characters in the game to combo. Also probably has the highest meta share of any character, so learning to combo him is essential, but it helps that he's so fun to combo.

[@unmellowthegamer8946]

I think an important nuance of "defensive fox" is that you're actually rewarded for getting a hit on him, and unlike with a ledge camping meta knight he doesn't necessarily make the optimal play to not approach him. In fact fox's lazers make it so you are punished for not approaching.

[@henryreturns1397]

Defensive Fox is pretty insane cuz of the punishes you can get from + force to approach because of chip laser damage but Fox also gets punish for not approaching and not been aggro since if you dont know when to pressure or be like “in your face” they will just steamroll the Fox

[@ln8496]

What’s actually funny is that metaknight has the 3rd slowest airspeed in the game.. hes fast in the air vertically only, until you glide or nado

[@manzanito3652]

​@@ln8496 Being the 3rd slowest doesn't matter when you have some of the best aerial attacks in the game, 5 jumps, glide and all 4 of his specials give him very good mobility.

[@etheweirdo_art]

Damn the editing and visuals on this one are so sick. Also a good explanation of the differences between the games and explains why there is such a difference life between them. It is crazy how much you have improved over time.

[@ericliu1124]

Meta Knight is actually a really strong rushdown character if the situation calls for it. The best example would probably be the Olimar matchup. It's probably one of the most aggressive gameplan of any character in any smash game, because of Olimar's flower pikmin and pikmin farming and MK's strength in neutral. The rising Dair/ledge spam we associate with Meta Knight was because the IC matchup was the most contentious matchup at higher levels of the bracket. Timeouts are simply the most efficient way to deal with IC, but that's as much of an issue with IC as it is MK. Given the melee communities controversies regarding wobbling, it's fairly understandable that one would camp against an iteration of IC that is far, far stronger (because the devs thought the IC TOD was gone and buffed the shit out of them, but also because of the stronger shield). Which leads me to my final point: MK isn't strong because of his noob bait neutral B, but rather because he has the strongest neutral game out of the roster. His Ftilt is safe on powershield (mentioned in a SSC set a few years back), which is a godsend given how strong shield and shield SDI was. This was because there is only a 3 frame gap between the first and second hits. Many jabs also have this property, but where MK's Ftilt differs is that he is fully actionable before the 2nd hit expires. Against say, Falcon's jab combo, if you shield the first hit you can simply hold shield because if he doesn't continue the string, he gets put in endlag and can't follow up with jab2. Not with MK. He can fully recover, walk around for 6 frames, and still be able to Ftilt2 (which is one unit longer that Ftilt1 and hits on frame 2). Furthermore, Ftilt has ~14 units of disjoint at bare minimum, usually more because of MK's low and round hitbox. This is in comparison with Melee Marth's Fair, which only has ~9. Many of MK's matchups against high tiers actually has him with a worse punish game because of his awful grab release (vs Marth), poor air mobility (vs falco Dthrow), and low weight. It's just that he has an amazing ground game to more than make up for it, thanks to his Ftilt, Dtilt against small shields, and Glide attack which autocancels (3 frame endlag. lmao) and even has a better glide toss than Diddy or ZSS. All that is to say, MK is definitely the most oppressive character Smash has seen, both in relative and absolute terms. However, because very few people follow the competitive scene, most people assume pros are losing to the gameplay they experience on WiFi battles, when it's really just a coincidence that MK happens to strongest at all levels of play. Ultimately, he's more toxic than Fox because Fox isn't good if you can't JC Shine, aka at low levels of play. P.S Uair is a frame trap; you can't actually airdodge through it if the MK falls with you. It has both faster startup and less total duration than an airdodge.

[@ze0tech189]

I absolutely love the trend of melee fans making documentary style videos on the history of their game. Such a beautiful way to etch their collective memories into stone.

[@KaiZenKDP]

Can't believe I found this video 2 hours after it released. This is without a doubt going to be up there with some of the best smash content of all time.

[@Splarkszter]

Your 3D scenes being the exact right type of graphics to fit with the game you are talking about are so great, add to the immersion and keep the viewer entertained. Great job!!!

[@lonkster]

Damn, the editing, the script, the visuals are heat leon. Keep up the great work.

[@queenofthesalt5199]

Something I remember a KZbinr named MockRock mention was that, in platform fighters, characters designed around defense and zoning couldn’t have insane movement, because you can retreat, and run away just as fast as you can approach.

[@locojake11]

I know everyone’s praising the animation and visuals, but I’m glad they don’t seem to come at the cost of the points you’re making. Great work and hope that Tournament is a blast!

[@IIIISai]

real

[@saccoli4919]

Hard to argue this isn’t the best channel on KZbin. Loving it as always, leon

[@Blibetyblabla]

Nah hungrybox has videos like this (react videos) and he goes “oh my god!”, so you get both in one

[@IIIISai]

easy to argue, but yea

[@powerowl2120]

@@Blibetyblabla LMAO. H-boc youtube goat

[@ScrimbloBimblo55]

It's crazy seeing how much your video's have grown and improved. Been watching your stuff since the 3s twelve video and loved the way you talk about this stuff. The new visuals and editing are incredible, while still managing to improve on the storytelling / explanation side of things. Keep it up dude

[@CONEYZZ]

GOOD MOVIE

[@Ev-xi5xp]

Just an incredible vibe all around in this video. I loved the storybook intro, the Wind Waker inspo really brought me back. Thanks Leon!

[@CORE_emeraude]

I usually don't comment on any videos, but I as a long time smash fan, I have to say : the title of "tyrant" fits meta knight (in his brawl iteration) PERFECTLY. He and only he, had the tools for absolute dominance within the game. This, of course, meant that no other characters could keep up and thus, a fight against meta knight became a matter of out-living, rather than out-playing. He had such a stranglehold on the game's mechanics, design philosophy and overall flow (which to this day has not yet been done by another smash "top tier") that I seriously do believe that a tier where only he reigns was by design. Meta knight is the prime example of an overpowered character whom strenghts, coupled with the game's engine and mechanics, disallowed others to thrive... with that said, great video and great analysis / comparison between fox and meta knight !

[@shaan__real]

youve genuinely outdone yourself with this one. this video is now a contender for my favourite video on this website. i loved the framing of brawl and melee being a king, their kingdom, and the people in the fable-like setting. super interesting and even reflects a lot of common story beats but in a super grand way

[@Tr0lliPop]

I love how the transition from animation to video is leon saying "lets be real"

[@roboticismRus]

Amazing video. You explain mechanics and concepts so well, without getting bogged down by the minutiae.

[@Slipstream317]

This is the first video of yours that got recommended to me- but I couldn't be more grateful it was. Having grown up and started my Smash Bros experience with Brawl, Meta Knight was always the character I defaulted to. Everything about him was cool, and when I was allowed to get onto the internet for the first time, I checked out some videos about Brawl and the series as a whole- only for younger me to be shocked. Nobody was playing, and nobody liked Brawl- and Meta Knight was one of the biggest reasons (if not the biggest). As I've grown, I've always had a lingering question in my mind as to why that was the case. I knew Meta Knight was broken, but I didn't know why he was considered so unhealthy for the game relative to some other traits (like slower gameplay, tripping, etc.). I've seen a couple explanations, and so I expected to be thoroughly uninterested in what this video had to offer- but then I watched it, and you presented an entirely different perspective. The editing was slick, the writing was insanely well-done, and I may or may not have already shared this video at least twice. New sub; I hope you find the recognition you absolutely deserve.

[@tjhunter9787]

Can't wait for several years from now where we get a new video of Bayonetta and Steve

[@kllkj089h]

Just want to say thanks for making some of the best content for this community I have ever seen, both on this and Coney's channel. You're also awsome in general and have been a huge influence to me ever since covid (when I started watching your stuff), so thanks for that aswell. Please keep existing.

[@lowkey-making-stuff]

bro the whole story telling angle of this video, the way you explained the meta of the 2 games,the visuals, its all so good! instantly subbed

[@omegabrain230]

Honestly the editing, story and animation of this video is amazing something like I’ve never seen before very interesting and inspirational

[@morphstarchangeling8024]

That was a really great video. The story book feel of the way you talked about the character's games' was very interesting.

[@axebattler]

This is some high-effort content, Leon! Brilliant explanation!

[@TheCrewExpendable]

The production values are insane!

[@sephytcd8349]

God... DAMN this fucked so hard holy shit that was like a perfect blend of narative and informational discussion was perfect

[@theSato]

Incredible video through and through. The hours (and genuine passion/love) that you put into this video truly shows on every frame.

[@EthanMickanen]

Steve being the “king” of Ultimate can be very funny because of the fallen kingdom Minecraft parody

[@Ocean-wz7bh]

I love the little detail at 5:50 where Ganon from the last clip is on the table, and he's got Fox and Samus in his hands with Battlefield on the table for the next clip, amazing work as always!

[@Xibalba_FGC]

so many good smash movies recently, i love that they go over what seem like very mundane tactics to tell stories bc it gives me hope more people are being invited to the scene, a lot of progress needs to be made still but i know we makin it

[@normalrachael]

one of the best smash videos i’ve ever seen by a LONG shot

[@DIce_PPlus]

This video is beautiful!! I loved the entire video, the narrative and visuals were incredible and awesome :D Would love to see a sequel of these two in PM/+ if you have any interest in that, if not, still an excellent video

[@ogun4921]

This was a really well worded and edited video that kept me on the edge of my seat! It really has opened my eyes to not only the differences between Fox and Meta Knight, but their respective games and their relationships within them. Great job!

[@RohiMig]

This has to be one of the best videos I've seen on this platform

[@adlansan5187]

Amigo you are what all content creators should aspire to be. The continous effort you put into your videos and the way the quality keeps going up with each one is genuinely impressive. Keep going and don't overwork yourself, the quality cant keep going up forever, so please dont burn yourself out. Banger channel Banger Vid

[@boateye]

Hell yeah, new original Leon Massey poetry!

[@Mewtic1]

Meow

[@caseforindex]

When I saw the thumbnail, I thought this video might have had more views. Then I took a look at his channel and watched a few of his videos. This man has put a lot of effort in his videos, and I'm looking forward to the channel's growth. All in all, I just wanted to say, I'm here before this guy blows up.

[@larrydupp3988]

Such an artistic way of explaining the difference in worlds between Melee and Brawl. Let us hope the war between Steve and Kazuya may end on a spring day, and not a cruel winter.

[@thesteelsquid863]

One of them must fall to the endless pits of tournement r.o.b.s

[@joshhurst9770]

This is great! The narrative framing makes this so interesting, engaging and easy to understand.

[@Unixnize]

Hope the algorithm picks this video up even more. It's so well done, and as someone who's only played melee for a year I felt so much pride and motivation hearing how you describe the game. And animations are fire.

[@ieatatsonic]

Rivals spotted! (Though if the implication is that Maypul is the top tier, then IDK how much I agree). Overall though, while there are many videos talking about Fox as a top tier it feels like people don't often elaborate on why MK is top tier. It's always an interesting topic to hear people familiar with games discuss why characters are so good in all the ways. But it is also always worth looking at the larger context the characters exist in, as a single top tier monarch is only so because there aren't any others to challenge it. As such, despite Fox being known as THE best character, it often doesn't feel like he has that much an advantage. Maybe it's the execution or the amount of focus it takes to play him perfectly. Maybe people found counterplay. Idunno. There's always the old joke of "The more I talk about Melee, the more I'm convinced Fox is the best character. The more I read about Melee, the more I'm convinced Puff is the best character. The more I watch Melee, the more I'm convinced Marth is the best character."

[@legendarysoil1064]

I like the points brought up in this video. Top tiers have to exist in any game, but the way that each game has to balance characters really makes or breaks a franchise

[@SpringdayAutumnmoon]

5:17 i just realized this guy's face is Small Battlefield

[@GamerTowerDX]

I'm pretty sure his chest is Randall's path too lol

[@VictorAlvarez-kn6lv]

I believe this might be your best video yet. Not just because the contents presented, but the way it is presented. The editing, the graphics, the fairy-tale story, it all comes together perfectly.

[@RaidSpinel]

Never thought I'd see comparisons to AoE2, great visuals and narration.

[@fluffycat679]

This was a ridiculously high-quality production, thank you for this; it's been entertaining, informative, and inspiring! I really want to go and play one of the Super Smash Bros. titles because of this video! It was so fun to hear this tale weaved into a story of kings and I hope someday I can enjoy Melee someday if I ever get serious about fighting games.

[@joshy-noha]

Your quality is just jawdroping. The content was always the best not just for e-sports stuff but gaming discussion as a whole as well. But you just keep improving massively! That narrative too goddamn. Love your stuff!

[@RexMcTavish]

Astoundingly professional video, super well done. Thank you for taking the time to tell this story!

[@CPU9incarnate]

Leon doing a smash vid? Strive really messed him up.

[@MartianSantas]

A reverse leffen

[@ianjohnson218]

I found this video ages ago, near when it first came out, but after leaving for a while and re-remembering it, I couldn’t re-find it, I’m very happy that KZbin finally brought me back to this video. I even forgot to like it!

[@docs.a.t.7161]

This might honestly be one of the best Smash videos on the platform. Great job, Mr. Massey

[@gameseeker18]

I absolutely love the initial story of the two kingdoms. You're quite the storyteller~

[@Mick2D]

this was a 🔥 video, loved the editing and story telling style!

[@scrapyarddragon]

this video really does feel like an ominous novel of ancient history, the sort of opening narration to set the stage to an epic narrative.

[@celestialwaffle1491]

I would have loved to see Meta Knight at his prime in a good game. If we could fix him, then directly pair him up with Melee Fox (and maybe other top tiers from the 5 games), that would be a spectacle to behold.

[@dom_rocks7923]

This is one of the best Smash videos I've ever seen. The visuals, the writing, just every thing was amazing. Great job.

[@jedisquidward]

Wow. This is an incredibly, incredibly well done video. Forgive me here because I'm going to write an essay worth of a comment, but given the amount of effort that was put into this, the least I can do is provide a lot of feedback. Never have I seen a video go so deeply into a subject like this without being overly morally charged and coming from a place of resentment toward Brawl. It looks at things on a deeper level and considers all perspectives. And the production quality is amazing, too. The seed at the start sprouting into another Battlefield is an absolutely genius visual. The flow and pacing of this video is spectacular, and, more than just the "fable" that is told, it tells a flowing narrative, first by recollecting people's images today of why the characters are remembered (Fox Only FD, Tripping, etc), explaining how the respective game metas evolved (people always forget how different a tier list can look early in a game's life), and discussing on an actual analytical level HOW things played out. Every meta will revolve somewhat around countering the top character, but Meta Knight's character type of a fast rushdown character was such a clash with the rest of the top tiers that it REALLY made the meta about him, more so than for Fox. It can be frustrating because it feels like MK doesn't have to play by the rules; while Fox is just really good at following them. It's funny, too: Meta Knight's light weight makes him seem like another glass canon on paper, but it's never that easy to predict how the meta will end up. As someone who personally really really loves Brawl, like all the other Smash games, and will even defend it competitively despite all of its RIDICULOUS jank, there's an aspect that's always stood out to me that seems to often be forgotten. Brawl is objectively a slower, less aggressive game than Melee. It's just a fact. You don't get big punishes, it's slower and more defensive, and it's much less flashy than Melee. However, in the same way that things like wavedashing, dashdancing, and the way air speed works allowed lots of characters in Melee to compete, I think that Brawl has something similar. In a game in which there's a lot more "waiting", characters that are trap-setters with a lot of setup-based play are a naturally good answer to this. Snake, Wario, Dedede, Diddy, Olimar, ZSS... most of the top-tiers other than MK and Icies had tools that were about setting up a situation that you would have to soon answer for even if things were slow right in this moment. You want to wait on edge as MK? Still a good option, but now I can cover the stage in C4, grenades, Wario's Bike, Armor pieces thrown in the air; things you are going to have to now come up with a solution to when you inevitably do come back to the stage. However, most characters in any fighting game are inherently not styled like this. It's also not a secret that the majority of people don't prefer these types of characters, even if I have personally always been drawn to them because of their creative and wacky movesets. A lot of people automatically think of Brawl as some kind of giant petty middle finger to the entire concept of the competitive aspect of Smash, and while I wouldn't mistake anyone for drawing that conclusion, I think the truth is deeper than that. I love your line near the end, that Meta Knight, "despite his best intentions, couldn't help but slow it down." When you look at the way a meta game evolves over years and years, it goes so, so deeply that you, as a designer, can only think so far ahead, especially when the game you're making doesn't even exist yet. It's like trying to predict exactly where the world will be 50 years from now and the specific chain reaction series of events that will lead there. Though there is absolutely an art to balancing a competitive game, I think, to some degree, there is an element of luck in which games will be lucky enough to be played twenty years after their launch; which games don't get some huge tech discovered that makes the game less balanced, or more importantly, less engaging, over time. TLDR I am a VERY hardcore fan of the Super Smash Bros series, and this is an amazing video.

[@trueblueryu5713]

The production on this video is absurd, amazing job.

[@1inimilian567]

Dude, that was great the ending and the explanation behind a good top-tier was amazing.

[@DewMan31]

This was a great and well put together video. Its amazing to see you improving your format and I look forward to more of your content.

[@larhyperhair]

This was beautifully animated

[@legendarysoil1064]

The visuals of this video are so cool. This really embodies the aesthetic of “Smash Brothers” in a way that only few things can

[@arachnofiend2859]

Thou shalt not give pixies huge disjoints

[@arJunebugSmash]

man sometimes i forget how broken MK was

[@SpiralBiscuit]

Incredible video. This not only explains complex topics in a managable way, it adds the A B story, it has easy and engaging videos, and oozes passion. Amazing video, I am stunned. I hope I can create a video this engaging someday.

[@Krona-fb4dn]

I don't mind your new direction, but I'd be very sad if you left the topic of all competitive fighting games. You're singlehandedly the reason I will want to try and play Tekken and get into Tekken 8 when it comes out. (I've only ever played smash before)

[@Z_The_Gamer]

This has by far been the best produced, written, and edited video I've seen of you, keep up the good work it's sick as hell!

[@tradewar3505]

amazing video! very curious to see the similarities that everyone’s favorite blocky brickman has on both melee fox and brawl MK. Steve may be a tad degenerate in the way Brawl MK definitely was, but the main difference to me is that point about when a Fox slips up, it lets their opponent play the game, a statement I think totally holds true regarding Steve as well. Steve’s movement is horrid and without resources he’s a sitting duck (watch Acola vs Spargo at Genesis). Getting to that state is much more involved, but it’s absolutely attainable.

[@tradewar3505]

@@d3lta_p Truthfully, Phantom MLG is a myth; although painted incredibly degenerately, similarly to wobbling, it doesn’t really exist? nobody has ever done it in bracket before, and even still Steve players have researched it since then to find out that it’s not as insanely overpowered as it seems

[@tradewar3505]

@@d3lta_p even the best player in the world thinks it’s not worth crutching on. reality is that some have banned Steve bc of the parts of his gameplan that do align with Brawl MK listed by Leon; his combo game and walls are somewhat degenerate and although fair at times, when he’s snowballing, he’s snowballing hard

[@tradewar3505]

Yeah I’m saying PMLG, UNLIKE wobbling, was a boogeyman tech

[@mikenmau14]

"Though this tale reaches its conclusion, a new generation calls for a new kingdom. The cast grew big, enough to last With new faces, and from times past. A world that existed on two dimensions, only differing the size of the screen and the selection of stages Everyone was set, with some balance changes. A world, a most modern kingdom. Loved amd hated faces joined the fray Yet those who paid no attention Those who just played for the sake of play There were still those who were weak, but There was no true king, almost everyone shared the spot for ruling. And then, the DLC came. They, at first, were harmless. They shared the spot aswell as their base game peers. They stood in line. They were strong. But not enough change the scene. But then, two kingdoms were born. One was ruled by a witch who had time to her hand. The other, had reality at their will. They both ruled the game. They both were unjust. Their power did not come from the full power of the game's mechanics. Their power came from playing their own game. At first, they forgave. They let the queen rule. The second time, they learned, and exiled the king. As one world faded to the hand of the queen, though, with no true ruler, the other flourished."

[@Kaynon]

"please imagine I'm able to multishine" Me on slippi unranked

[@mjdevlog]

An actually underrated smash channel for the amount of effort being poured on the script, animation, and storytelling🔥

[@davidvkimball]

Editing is great! Make sure you don't use Dolphin's built-in "widescreen hack" that is not the optimal way to capture Melee in widescreen. There is a dedicated Gecko code that accomplishes it.

[@ClankTheKenku]

I'm out of words, this is simply the best video essay I think i've ever been blessed with seeing.❤

[@TheZiadGuides]

Even tho fox is a top tier almost everyone in melee will tell you it doesn’t matter cuz he’s so fun to fight in almost every match up, Just don’t ask a puff main

[@eXilz0]

The level of production for this video is absolutely stellar. Fantastic job, subbed !

[@degen7278]

Honestly this is such a unique and interesting premise for a video. You manage to keep raising the ante for each new video. Nice work Leon!' Edit: I hate phone.

[@Dyleniz]

The editing just from the beginning alone shows how much effort you pulled into this video

[@RosiYYAP]

Amazing video. As someone who got her start in Brawl and then got into PM and Melee, this really encapsulates the reasons why MK works too well and highlights the differences between the fundamental building blocks of the games. I still love Brawl and run it at Tripoint in Chicagoland about once a month, and it's still a great time for me, but I've known for ages that it's not everybody's cup of tea No idea if you look for suggestions for videos, but any PM content would be awesome. Something looking at Wolf in the same vein as this or an analysis of patch culture would be so cool to see or literally anything about the game would be sick. But regardless, I'll keep watching these videos Have a good time at Fete, it sounds like a great time~

[@tobin2.0]

You will never be a real woman You have no womb You have no eggs You have no ovaries

[@soooslaaal8204]

her

[@basedgod6913]

it's pretty cool that Brawl still gets tournament play

[@RosiYYAP]

@@basedgod6913 i still love playing it and it's such a nice change of pace being so much more neutral-heavy compared to Melee and P+

[@basedgod6913]

@@RosiYYAP Yeah I see what you mean. Never played any P+ and only ever played brawl casually with friends but I've been getting heavily into melee and the contrast between melee and brawl is stark

[@quickpixel8933]

This video is genuinely brilliant. You've gone further ahead than ever before this time. Thanks for more game design philosophy content

[@cronasan6931]

given all this it makes me wonder what Meta Knight wouldve been like in a melee or a game similar to it he probably wouldve been close to the same as the shine boy maybe a bit more powerful in some respects but ig thats why PM exists to give us that version of MK to a degree makes me wanna play him in that game or at least see other do so

[@bingpigs]

this is the first time in a while ive watched a video essay the whole way through. beautiful visuals and storytelling

[@seanweber4252]

ESAM with hair isn't real, he can't hurt you... _ESAM with hair_ 7:30

[@jactotum]

i've long thought of fox and MK as the characters that take advantage of everything their engines have to offer the most. in sm4sh you could argue it was bayo taking advantage of gimpy rage mechanics and ladder combos, whereas cloud forced his separate game to be played with limit charge being a neutral pressure tool. in Ult, I'd almost say that its Steve that takes advantage of the everything the game has to offer the most, where kazuya once again is the character that brute forces his game to be played, with a lot of separate and additional mechanics being added solely for him

[@Ryan-vw5ul]

I could never main Meta Knight in Brawl because it felt too easy to win as him.