[Relambrien]

Hey guys, calm down.

Character imbalances are an unfortunate reality. There is no possible way the designers can predict every way a character will be used, so they can't possibly test and change everything to ensure that characters are more or less equal in potential ability. The way the community plays determines which characters end up being better. For instance, had L-canceling not been so effective in Melee, Ganondorf would probably be one of the worst characters in the game. With L-canceling, he's average to good.

Now naturally, in a match between two players, the better player will -generally- win, regardless of character choice. The "tier list" is merely a representation of which characters are repeatedly placing well in tournaments, and therefore fluctuates as the metagame does.

Now as the metagame matures, it becomes more and more possible to see which characters are consistently toward the top of the tier list, and declare them as "better" than the characters at the bottom, but character counters do exist; a lower-tier character can have an advantage over a specific higher-tier character.

Honestly, the tier list isn't something that should be worshiped or used to determine which character you play. Heck, the first Brawl tier list won't be out probably for over a year. Use it as what it is: a guide as to which characters are doing best in tournaments.