Traction is a measure of how far a character can slide on the ground, either by shielding an attack or by wavedashing. In Melee is generally considered best for characters to have a moderately low traction, so they can wavedash an optimal distance . Luigi is known in all 3 games to have an extremely low traction.
Traction ranking
This is a ranking of each character's traction in Melee, from least to greatest.
1. Luigi
2. Ice Climbers (Except on ice, where their traction is best)
3. Mewtwo
4. Marth
5. Yoshi
6. Roy
7-9. Dr. Mario/Mario/Mr. Game & Watch (all equivalent)
10. Samus
11. Ness
12. Fox
13. Bowser
14. Falco
15. Young Link
16. Ganondorf
17. Donkey Kong
18-19. Pikachu/Sheik (equivalent)
20-21. Captain Falcon/Kirby (equivalent)
21. Pichu
23. Jigglypuff
24. Link
25-26. Peach/Zelda (equivalent)