THE FIRST RIVALS OF AETHER 2 TIER LIST OF 2025!

[@Flindo911]

the second I seen your kragg placement I kinda checked out, he is still top 2 in tournament results

[@ProofBlock]

like I said in the video early in the meta of games, heavies have much more success since they hit harder and live longer, Kragg is just going to slowly fall out of tournament results its not like hes just gonna vanish cuz he got nerfed (platfight the most recent major not having a single kragg in top 8 already showing the trend)

[@nayolfa2926]

I think that's just a biased take from how heavy's working smash Bros. Craig has been a scary tournament threat throughout all of rivals 1 history. And every heavy in rivals one is scary as fuck. Lox is only starting to get there now that he is guaranteed to have lava charge.

[@NoTAP3435]

​@ProofBlock except he's not a traditional heavy. He has amazing buttons and projectile game, he just also happens to have a lot of weight which makes him stronger.

[@ProofBlock]

@@NoTAP3435 he doesn’t move like a traditional heavy but he still gets hit like one which is the real problem, also parrying is really strong against rock, not as much so with the shards but in general against the specials parrying is soooo strong against kragg

[@Flindo911]

@@ProofBlock the thing is ROB is an undisputed top 5 in ultimate right now and hes just as big as bowser

[@everratic]

Great video with good explanations! While Clairen’s advantage state will no doubt get even more oppressive as players optimize their play, I do think she’ll win neutral less as players get more used to her. I feel like top Clairens are getting some free stuns and grabs that can convert into a stock.

[@ProofBlock]

Glad you enjoyed, excited to see how Claire’s meta is pushed (especially with spargo playing her)

[@danramirez8553]

rating kragg this low is actually trolling. The examples you gave, nerfing his side B, I still rarely see people edge guard him in tournament. You mentioned some things about him doing less damage and his aerials getting more lag, but I still see people like Zeus just winning neutral a few times and killing / getting gimps with just raw fairs and bairs. The guy has zero demand for combos, and he's a stupidly fast spamming fast faller with alot of zoning tolls. He's got alot of utility and you didn't really explain any of this weaknesses, or reasons why many of the characters on the list would be higher than him. Also maypul is shit lol.

[@ProofBlock]

I literally did explain those weakness in his recovery, just because you say they aren’t that bad doesn’t make them go away, also I think you misheard me I didn’t mean that kraggs damage was nerfed but that his damage would just be passed by most characters around him once they better figure out there advantage states, so the reason kragg is that low is its really easy to combo him and he’s much easier to kill now with a worse disadvantage, he ain’t bad just not as good as the people above him

[@danramirez8553]

​@@ProofBlock Who's saying he's bad? You're dodging the accusation. I said rating him below these characters is dumb. I'm not just saying "they aren't that bad", I'm representing examples in high level tournament play and sets between top players. Just because you deny evidence, doesn't make your interpretation false. Just because hes fat and gets comboed that doesn't instantly make him worse than other characters when he litterally has moves with more disjoint and frame data than many others. That's such a surface level interpretation to the meta.

[@ProofBlock]

@ in high level tournaments kragg isn’t doing as well? Like look at plat fight the last major we had after patch, no kraggs in top 8, I rate the other characters above kragg because they hit just had hard while having better neutral, the nerf to bair hurts him significantly and his neutral ain’t bad, it’s just worse then everyone above him imo (same with his disadvantage) Also I think you are heavily under valuing how much easier is to combo kragg, especially if the opponents know how to DI and make you work for your combos. I have you reasonings in the video why he was bellow other characters just because you don’t agree your don’t understand them doesn’t make this surface level

[@danramirez8553]

@@ProofBlock There was like one kragg that tournament and honestly zeebee is known more for being a troll, sure he seems serious most of the time, but i definately find ZeusTheGoose and Stango to be more efficient kraggs. Wrastor and Maypul didn't make top 8 either in that tournament. You still gonna rate them higher than kragg? lol

[@ProofBlock]

@@danramirez8553 is Zeebee not widely considered the goat kragg? Like even if he trolls from time to time I don’t think you should under value people beating him to he isnt trying (also stango is playing zetter mainly now but his kragg still nasty) (also also I haven’t really gotten the chance to watch Zeus is he actually all that) and I don’t really consider tournament results since I feel early on in a game, they aren’t properly indicative of top level since matchup checks and easy bake combos are so much more prevalent then they actually should be, I was just giving you an example

[@Anthony-zl7yz]

Kragg is the only anomoly here imo. Mans is still absurd. His recovery is basically untouchable still if you summon pillar far enough. The nerf to the landing lag from his hop doesnt let you do much besides get a random little hit in. It's not like how melee sheik is when she lands on stage ifykwim. I think Maypul makes sense up there. Fr that character is insane and no one talks about it lol. The fact that if I get pecked off stage at high percent with tether up, Im basically dead if the maypul is playing good. Lox and fleet I dont think are as bad as orcane, they feel more like c than F.

[@ProofBlock]

Honestly I could see kragg in the A tier, but even when he pillars really far away, then he has to recover from max distance, if you hold ledge against it usually he’s forced to land pretty close on stage and depending on the character you can wave dash dair or down tilt, also I like to think of it as orcane is as good as fleet and lox not the other way around (also I’m glad you see the maple light)

[@borkbork9541]

​@ProofBlock Not to mention when other characters can kill the pillar as its rising, either with a projectile or clairens downspecial. Kragg doesn't have recovery w a hitbox after pillar and you get walljump back after destroying it now. There's still plenty of time to change things if this proves not enough

[@hughmungus99]

idk i think anyone who played a lot of rivals 1 probably doesn't struggle against kragg since he's such a common character in that game too and i know a lot of new players in the discords would always need help with kragg in the last game because of his recovery and playing around rock so i think once people coming from other games get used to him then kragg won't seem so oppressive.

[@isaacyqm4921]

i am new on rivals, and my english its very poor. But your explanations and know about the game teach me so much about the meta on rivals 2, great video dude

[@ProofBlock]

Glad it helped, hope you keep enjoying the game

[@HeyItsTee513]

Trying to say every character is viable but others are better is kinda redundant when they are put in F tier while others are in S A or B. Tier list shoulda been S for top A for good and maybe a B tier

[@ProofBlock]

I wouldn’t let the letter bother you that much, F tier is the same as C tier really it’s just more emphasis, and again I do think there is a clear gap between those bottom three and the rest even if all are viable

[@Zwylo]

(I play maypul) personally I think current zetter deserves s tier and fors and kragg switched, but other than that exactly what i would say.

[@ProofBlock]

Sounds pretty fair

[@Rafael-d5e1n]

Krag easily A tier dude is broken from his speed and weight alone.

[@ProofBlock]

I’m not gonna fight that to hard he’s still really good and I could see him up there, I just think is recovery is actually a weakness now so sometimes you dont need to kill off the blast zone (also he is a race car but that’s the game)

[@nicholastozzi]

Happy you finally see that Lox isn’t the worst in the game 😂 I knew you would see the light eventually. He’s still exploitable ofc.

[@ProofBlock]

that up throw a war crime lowkey

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

I feel like just making loxodonts magma charge faster is needed. Make it so when he uses a move that puts it on the ground it only takes 30 frames to be "charged" instead of the 60 or whatever it is now also make it like zetterburns fire where touching it at all gives him the charge. The other options are allow him to pick it up while shielding. OR leave it as is but the armor is actual armor so he takes less knockback or damage while having stacks of it. Like 1% less damage per stack or 2%, 4%, and 7% less knockback depending on the stacks. Anyways fleet is still incredibly strong. Kragg is still incredibly strong. And maypul being top is weird. I mean maypul has the potential but there are no results saying they are best.

[@Flindo911]

@@x9x9x9x9x9 loxodont is doing just fine in tournaments he absolutely doesn’t need buffs

[@ProofBlock]

I think allowing him to pick up magma while shielding would be really nice, I don’t think he necessarily needs it but it would be nice

[@hughmungus99]

nah he's fine. eruption is really good so being able to dtilt and then hold shield to get a charge while being pressured so you can use it to recover would be kind of annoying. Also the armor is unnecessary and i'm saying this as a lox main.

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

@@hughmungus99 I get what you mean but still might be decent buffs if power creep becomes a problem.

[@mattsheehan3604]

People dogging on the kragg take but i agree. His MU spread is just not on the same tier as maypul wrastro zett ranno fors who feel like they can win any mu. Kragg on the other hand can run into fleet or wrastor and be in a very up hill battle.

[@Mr_ViPR]

Are the Maples in the room with us now?🤣

[@darrionreed1240]

Rivals of Aester vs Combo breaker

[@mynamejot8623]

In regards to maypul, is there really any use for her back air? Ive played around with her for some time now and I cannot seem to find a real use for this move because of how inconsistent it feels. Would love some tips from anyone who plays the character.

[@ProofBlock]

It’s can confirm into forward strong/tilt and maybe dash attack depending on prevent and di, and if someone if wrapped then after hitting it you could follow with a nair, I’m not the best at maple tho so I would mess around with it in training mode and see what works with different Di

[@hughmungus99]

bair1 dstrong used to work in the last game so maybe it works in this game too ?

[@brokatron]

honestly what more could you ask for in a kit like zetterburns to not be S tier

[@ProofBlock]

His recovery is pretty bad imo people just don’t get down B mix ups yet, and shine is a really important tool that does have counter play IF you are ready

[@zegtronic]

orcane is the best character in the game. bro is my main and i am biased

[@ProofBlock]

I’ll take your word for it

[@eliboyden4903]

Idk, I think Etalus is the best character in the game

[@ProofBlock]

this is the real truth

[@hannes8978]

Wrastor is not S tier bruh

[@Matroze1]

why not? He feels like an S tier

[@Flindo911]

@@Matroze1 other than Biobirb he has basically zero notable tournament placements, and he is significantly harder to pilot consistently than say Zetter or Kragg

[@ProofBlock]

Can you say why you feel this way

[@hannes8978]

@@ProofBlock his top level representation is too weak.

[@NoTAP3435]

Putting Kragg in anything other than S ruins your credibility

[@ProofBlock]

Blinded by hate for the character of you truly believe he is undisputed up there with the best of the best status after the nerf

[@NoTAP3435]

@ProofBlock it's not character hate, it's just the fact of the patch

[@Pheentrashcan]

@@NoTAP3435me when i lie