Counter (matchup)

In relative terms, a counter is a character that can be used with reasonable success against another, different character.

A counter or hard counter is a character that holds a strong advantage against another. It is always used in relative terms - in Melee, for instance, Peach is often said to be a hard counter to Ice Climbers; Peach counters the Ice Climbers. Another example in Brawl is that Pikachu is a hard counter to Fox. A hard counter usually has some element, such as an infinite or zero-death chain grab or an especially high priority relative to the victim's attacks, that makes the match nearly impossible to win for the character on the losing end.

A soft counter indicates a match-up that favors one character noticeably but only slightly. It also sometimes indicates an even match-up between two characters far away from each other on the tier list - in Melee, for instance, Donkey Kong can be said to counter or soft counter Fox in Melee, though the match-up is generally considered about even. In Brawl, Yoshi is said to be a soft counter to Meta Knight, but the match is generally accepted as even. A soft counter tends to fare better, usually by an advantage that can't be as easily capitalized on.

Players often switch to a counter when counterpicking.