ENGLISH VERSION
KOF XV Patch 2.52 Tier List — My Evaluation Criteria
This is my current view of the KOF XV Tier List for patch 2.52.
I usually use subdivisions such as S-, S and S+ because I try to differentiate character strength as much as possible. Two characters can belong to the same tier while still having a meaningful difference in overall strength.
My analysis tries to find a balance between two things:
“The character's individual strength and everything they can potentially offer at their maximum potential”
X
“How effectively that potential translates into actual competitive play, especially in tournaments.”
Execution difficulty has relatively little weight in my evaluation.
My assumption is that, with enough training, any character can eventually be mastered. Because of that, I try to evaluate characters close to their ideal level of play, rather than based on how easily an average player can access their tools.
At the same time, I don't completely ignore competitive reality.
If something is theoretically extremely powerful but almost never works or appears in high-level matches, that also needs to be taken into consideration.
To organize my analysis, I usually think about the following aspects:
Feel free to agree, disagree or add anything in the replies.
I know this can get a little too detailed hahaha, but I try to extract as much information as possible when analyzing the game.
Sorry, sometimes I let Lau the programmer/scientist influence this a little too much. 😂
1 - Offensive Potential / Tools
1.1 - Meter Spent X Damage Dealt
Not simply “how much damage does the character deal?”, but how efficiently they convert meter into damage.
A character dealing 600 damage with 2 bars is very different from one who needs 4 bars to reach something similar.
1.2 - Mixups / Ability to Open Up the Opponent
High/low, command grabs, cross-ups, cross-unders, frame traps, safe jumps, etc.
1.3 - Guard Crush Potential
How many resources the character needs to pressure and break the Guard Gauge effectively.
Examples:
Chizuru — 1 bar
Terry — 1 bar
K' — 1 bar
etc.
1.4 - Rushdown Potential
1.5 - Conversion Potential
1.5.1 - Conversions from Normals
1.5.2 - Conversions from Lows
1.5.3 - Conversions from Anti-Airs
1.5.4 - Conversions from Whiff Punishes
1.6 - Corner Carry
A character dealing 450 damage while carrying the opponent into the corner with advantage may create a stronger offensive situation than someone dealing 500 and resetting back to neutral.
1.7 - Oki / Advantage after Knockdown
Angel S2. 😈
1.8 - Comeback / Offensive Burst Potential
2 - Defensive Potential / Tools
2.1 - Defensive Resources
2.1.1 - DP / Reversal
2.1.2 - Checks / Interruption Tools
2.1.3 - Metered Reversals
2.2 - Defensive Buttons
2.3 - Anti-Air
2.3.1 - Consistency against Hops
2.3.2 - Consistency against Jumps / Hyper Hops
2.3.3 - Reward after Anti-Air
2.4 - Turtling Potential
2.5 - Zoning Potential
2.6 - Ability to Escape or Reset Pressure
2.7 - Risk X Reward of Defensive Options
3 - Neutral
3.1 - Range and Quality of Normals
3.2 - Horizontal Control
3.3 - Vertical Control
3.4 - Mobility
3.4.1 - Run Speed
3.4.2 - Hop / Jump
3.4.3 - Special Movement Tools
3.5 - Whiff Punish
3.6 - Pokes
3.7 - Space Control
3.8 - Ability to Start Pressure from Neutral
3.9 - Reward after Winning Neutral
4 - Consistency
4.1 - Meter Dependency
4.2 - Corner Dependency
4.3 - Dependency on Specific Conditions
4.4 - Conversion Consistency
4.5 - Damage Consistency
4.6 - Ability to Function while Ahead
4.7 - Ability to Function while Behind
4.8 - Number of Situations in which the Character Can Execute Their Gameplan
4.9 - Matchup Dependency
5 - Flexibility / Team Value
5.1 - Point Potential
5.2 - Mid Potential
5.3 - Anchor Potential
6 - Matchups
I know this category would be a crazy amount of work in KOF considering the game has 61 characters, so I'm definitely not trying to build a complete matchup chart right now hahaha.
But I'm leaving the category here for anyone who wants to analyze it further.
6.1 - Number of Favorable Matchups
6.2 - Number of Even Matchups
6.3 - Number of Unfavorable Matchups
6.4 - Severity of Unfavorable Matchups
6.5 - Presence of Hard Counters
6.6 - Ability to Adapt against Different Archetypes
6.6.1 - Rushdown
6.6.2 - Zoning
6.6.3 - Turtling
6.6.4 - Grapplers
7 - Competitive Presence / Practical Application
7.1 - Tournament Usage
7.2 - Diversity of Players Using the Character
7.3 - Top 8 Presence
7.4 - Top 3 Presence
7.5 - Titles / Relevant Results
7.6 - Consistency of Results over Time
7.7 - Presence across Different Regions
7.8 - Effectiveness in High-Level Matches
7.9 - Theoretical Potential X Practical Application
Practical Example: Why Ryo is My Top 1 and Why Angel is “Only” Top 10
I'll use Ryo X Angel as a practical example.
I currently consider Ryo the best character in the game, while Angel is inside my Top 10.
Angel is especially useful for this comparison because she's a character I personally use, so I have a close understanding of how far her tools can actually be pushed in competition.
Scores are always shown as: Ryo | Angel.
1 - Offensive Potential = 4.4/5 | 4.6/5
1.1 - Meter Spent X Damage Dealt = 5/5 | 3/5
1.2 - Mixups / Ability to Open Up the Opponent = 3/5 | 5/5
1.3 - Guard Crush Potential = 5/5 | 4/5
1.4 - Rushdown = 4/5 | 5/5
1.5 - Conversion Potential = 5/5 | 5/5
1.5.1 - From Normals = 4/5 | 5/5
1.5.2 - From Lows = 5/5 | 5/5
1.5.3 - From Anti-Air = 5/5 | 5/5
1.5.4 - From Whiff Punish = 5/5 | 4/5
1.6 - Corner Carry = 4/5 | 5/5
1.7 - Oki / Knockdown Advantage = 4/5 | 5/5
1.8 - Comeback / Burst Potential = 5/5 | 5/5
This already shows something important about my Tier List:
Angel actually scores slightly higher than Ryo offensively.
That does not contradict Ryo being my Top 1.
When Angel establishes her offense, I consider her offensive potential one of the highest in KOF XV.
Mixups, Unchains, oki, movement, cross-ups, cross-unders, command grab threats, frame traps and timing variations give her an enormous number of offensive possibilities.
Ryo is less specialized in this area, but his offense is extremely efficient.
His damage, Guard Gauge pressure, conversions and meter efficiency make almost every successful interaction highly rewarding.
2 - Defensive Potential = 4.6/5 | 3.3/5
2.1 - Defensive Resources = 5/5 | 3/5
2.1.1 - DP / Reversal = 5/5 | 1/5
2.1.2 - Checks / Interruption Tools = 5/5 | 1/5
2.1.3 - Metered Reversals = 4/5 | 5/5
2.2 - Defensive Buttons = 4/5 | 3/5
2.3 - Anti-Air = 5/5 | 3/5
2.3.1 - Consistency against Hops = 5/5 | 3/5
2.3.2 - Consistency against Jumps / Hyper Hops = 5/5 | 3/5
2.3.3 - Reward after Anti-Air = 5/5 | 5/5
2.4 - Turtling = 5/5 | 3/5
2.5 - Zoning = 4/5 | 5/5
2.6 - Ability to Escape / Reset Pressure = 5/5 | 2/5
2.7 - Defensive Risk X Reward = 4/5 | 4/5
This is where one of the biggest differences appears.
Ryo remains extremely strong even when he is forced to defend.
He has strong reversals, anti-airs, defensive buttons and tools to control many different situations.
Angel, on the other hand, has much clearer defensive weaknesses.
That does not mean she struggles to start her gameplan or needs perfect conditions to function — my own Neutral and Consistency scores show the opposite.
The main issue appears when Angel is put under pressure and has to defend.
Her meterless defensive options are more limited, her ability to interrupt certain offensive sequences is weaker, and escaping pressure tends to depend more on specific resources.
That is one of the main reasons I don't place her at the same level as Ryo.
3 - Neutral = 4.9/5 | 4.9/5
3.1 - Range / Quality of Normals = 5/5 | 5/5
3.2 - Horizontal Control = 5/5 | 5/5
3.3 - Vertical Control = 5/5 | 4/5
3.4 - Mobility = 4/5 | 5/5
3.4.1 - Run Speed = 4/5 | 5/5
3.4.2 - Hop / Jump = 4/5 | 4/5
3.4.3 - Special Movement Tools = 3/5 | 5/5
3.5 - Whiff Punish = 5/5 | 5/5
3.6 - Pokes = 5/5 | 5/5
3.7 - Space Control = 5/5 | 5/5
3.8 - Ability to Start Pressure from Neutral = 5/5 | 5/5
3.9 - Reward after Winning Neutral = 5/5 | 5/5
I don't consider Angel's neutral weak at all.
Actually, according to my own criteria, Ryo and Angel are almost tied here.
Angel has excellent mobility and strong tools to transition directly from neutral into offense.
Ryo has slightly better vertical control and a more universal set of answers.
But overall, I consider both characters extremely strong in this area.
4 - Consistency = 5.0/5 | 4.8/5
4.1 - Meter Dependency = Low | Low
4.2 - Corner Dependency = Low | Low
4.3 - Dependency on Specific Conditions = Low | Low
4.4 - Conversion Consistency = 5/5 | 5/5
4.5 - Damage Consistency = 5/5 | 4/5
4.6 - Ability to Function while Ahead = 5/5 | 5/5
4.7 - Ability to Function while Behind = 5/5 | 5/5
4.8 - Situations where the Character can Execute Their Gameplan = 5/5 | 5/5
4.9 - Matchup Dependency = Low | Low
I want to make an important distinction here:
Execution difficulty ≠ consistency.
I'm not lowering Angel because her Unchain routes or setups are mechanically difficult.
I give execution difficulty very little weight.
I'm evaluating whether the tools themselves remain consistent assuming the player can execute them correctly.
By that standard, I consider Angel an extremely consistent character.
5 - Flexibility / Team Value = 5.0/5 | 3.0/5
5.1 - Point = 5/5 | 5/5
5.2 - Mid = 5/5 | 3/5
5.3 - Anchor = 5/5 | 1/5
This is another major difference.
Ryo can occupy almost any team position without losing much of his overall value.
Point, Mid or Anchor: he remains extremely strong.
Angel, in my opinion, is much more efficient in specific positions.
As Point, I consider her excellent.
As Mid, she still works.
As Anchor, I think there are much better options for using that amount of meter.
And that matters because KOF is a team game, not just an isolated comparison between characters.
6 - Matchups
As I mentioned, doing Ryo | Angel X the other 60 characters would be a massive amount of work right now. 😂
But we can at least get a basic idea through archetypes:
6.1 - Favorable Matchups = Many | Many
6.2 - Even Matchups = Many | Many
6.3 - Unfavorable Matchups = Few | Few
6.4 - Severity of Unfavorable Matchups = Low | Low
6.5 - Hard Counters = Very Low | Low/Medium
6.6 - Adaptation against Archetypes = 4.8/5 | 3.5/5
6.6.1 - Rushdown = 5/5 | 2/5
6.6.2 - Zoning = 4/5 | 5/5
6.6.3 - Turtling = 5/5 | 3/5
6.6.4 - Grapplers = 5/5 | 4/5
These scores don't necessarily mean Angel has bad matchups against all of these archetypes.
They mainly represent the range of answers available against each type of gameplan.
And again, the main defensive difference appears here: against Rushdown, for example, Ryo has far more tools to interrupt or discourage pressure.
7 - Competitive Presence / Practical Application = 5.0/5 | 2.9/5
We currently have two Ryo players in the world's Top 6: Lokof and Kaiser.
7.1 - Tournament Usage = 5/5 | 2/5
7.2 - Diversity of Players = 5/5 | 2/5
7.3 - Top 8 Presence = 5/5 | 2/5
7.4 - Top 3 Presence = 5/5 | 2/5
7.5 - Titles / Relevant Results = 5/5 | 4/5
7.6 - Consistency of Results over Time = 5/5 | 4/5
7.7 - Presence across Different Regions = 5/5 | 2/5
7.8 - Effectiveness in High-Level Matches = 5/5 | 5/5
7.9 - Theoretical Potential X Practical Application = 5/5 | 3/5
Angel is an interesting case because I personally become part of that sample.
I've been able to apply many of her possibilities in high-level competition, so I know her potential isn't just Training Mode theory.
But that doesn't mean I should ignore the difference in competitive representation.
When the same strength repeatedly appears through more players, more regions and more results, that is also relevant information.
And this is another important part of the comparison:
Angel isn't below Ryo because she's inconsistent, has weak neutral, or struggles to start her gameplan.
According to my own scores, she's extremely strong in those areas.
What weighs against her the most is the combination of:
clearer defensive weaknesses + lower flexibility between Point/Mid/Anchor + much lower competitive representation.
So Why Is Ryo Top 1 and Angel Isn't?
Angel is a great example of a character who can be better than Ryo in specific situations without necessarily being a better character than Ryo overall.
When Angel establishes her offense, I consider her offensive ceiling one of the highest in KOF XV.
Her mixups, oki, mobility and number of offensive possibilities can even surpass Ryo's.
But when we expand the analysis to the entire character, important differences begin to appear.
Ryo has:
Rushdown.Defense.Turtling.Zoning.Guard pressure.Anti-air.Damage.Conversions.Low meter.High meter.Point.Mid.Anchor.
Angel is also extremely strong offensively, in neutral and in consistency.
What keeps me from placing her at the same level is mainly her defensive limitations, lower team-position flexibility, and much lower competitive presence compared to Ryo.
That's why Ryo is my Top 1.
Not because he's literally 5/5 at everything, and not because he's better than every other character in every individual category.
He's my Top 1 because he has very few meaningful weaknesses while being exceptional at almost everything he tries to do.
And this is probably the simplest way to summarize my entire Tier List philosophy:
My Tier List isn't trying to find the character who can do the single strongest thing in the game. It's trying to find the character who can do more strong things, in more situations, more consistentl
Amanhã o Clube de Regatas do Flamengo joga uma Quarta-de-Final dificilima na Ilha do Urubu contra a Ferroviária pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.
Nossas meninas precisam do nosso apoio pelo bi-brasileiro.
Aproveitando que não tenho nada de melhor pra fazer, gostaria de expor minhas opiniões sobre o Flamengo.
Mudanças que eu gostaria pro Flamengo em 2027.
(post 1, provavelmente terá o 2).
Atenção, brasileiros 🚨
Usem o Sabu como alternativa para compartilhar a tela e a câmera. Somos uma plataforma de treinamento em jogos moderada por pessoas que oferece os mesmos recursos do Discord!
Obtenham acesso antecipado e baixem agora! Link abaixo⬇️
No dia 7 de fevereiro de 2025, eu fiz um tweet anunciando a minha decisão de pedir exoneração do meu concurso pra tentar viver a vida fazendo as coisas que eu genuinamente amo.
Muitos de vocês sabem sobre o meu trabalho com perfumaria, que é fora do Twitter, mas eu também trouxe um pouco desse meu amor pela perfumaria pra vocês aqui na página.
Mas o que eu quero verdadeiramente dizer é que, entre os dias 3 e 7 de setembro, eu vou estar na Beauty Fair, que é o maior evento de perfumaria e cosmética da América Latina, como convidado, com a passagem completamente custeada e trabalhando com o que eu amo.
Acho que esse é o maior sinal de “as coisas estão dando certo” que eu recebi desde o dia em que tomei a decisão de abandonar a “vida tradicional” e ir de peito aberto em busca dos meus sonhos.
Esse tweet é apenas para confortar vocês, meus camaradas, que tanto gostam de mim, e dizer que as coisas estão dando certo. ❤️
Sei que vocês torcem por mim tanto quanto eu torço por vocês. Muito obrigado por tudo, sempre.
[Notícia doryana triste😟]
Infelizmente fui informada agora de manhã que a ExitLag sofreu uma série de cortes e o meu setor foi afetado, dessa forma, este será meu último mês no ExitLag News.
Meu chefe está dando todo o apoio e está sendo um querido!
Queria pedir ajuda pra vocês! Me ajudem a achar um novo local de trabalho! Procuro vaga para entrevistadora (preferencialmente em vídeo). Sou especialista no cenário de LoL, mas posso aprender sobre outras modalidades!
Falo os seguintes idiomas: inglês, espanhol, japonês e coreano!
Mais tarde vou colocar meu portifólio no 🧶
Eu tava me planejando para aos poucos deixar de dar aula e viver majoritariamente com as entrevistas e essa notícia me deixou tristinha, mas sei que Deus está no controle de tudo e que vai ficar tudo bem.
🩷 e 🔁 são apreciados
@miyaharalol Pior que eram 2 vídeos do mylon e 1 do takeshi de mundo, no dia anterior, e ele teria entendido que esse seria o jogo que os cientistas tanto procuram quando estão com o Mundo (60 minutos pra stackar bastante vida e ganhar mais Ad que o Jhin).