As EVO expanded its footprint in 2025, landing in both Nice, France (Oct 10–12) alongside its traditional stage in Las Vegas, the Street Fighter 6 meta has been under a crucible of competition. These back-to-back events give us richer data than ever to build our tier list. Below is your tier list, annotated with what these tournaments told us about which characters are thriving or struggling.
Key Tournament Highlights to Keep in Mind
- At EVO France (Nice), SF6 was one of the main titles. Its Top 4 included Leshar (Ed) as champion over Blaz (Ryu), with kobayan (Zangief) in third and Mister Crimson (Dhalsim) in fourth.
- At EVO Las Vegas 2025, the Top 4 in SF6 were: 1st : MenaRD (Blanka), 2nd : Kakeru (JP), 3rd : Micky (Cammy / Mai), 4th : Phenom (Cammy).
- The dual EVO format gives us a clearer map of the meta: picks that survive both in Europe and in Vegas are especially validated.
- Character diversity in Nice (with Leshar’s win) shows that local scenes can elevate picks or strategies under the right conditions.
- Vegas data is king for global meta shifts — picks that go deep there tend to guide future tier movement.
S Tier : Meta Elite
Ryu, Mai, Ed, JP, Akuma
These fighters appear across both tournaments as strong picks. Ed and JP especially benefit from freshness and versatile toolkits. Ryu and Mai have proven consistency. Akuma remains a Holy Grail pick due to flexibility and match-up coverage.
A Tier : Strong Contenders with Caveats
Ken, C. Viper, Guile, Terry, A.K.I., Rashid, Cammy, Blanka,
These have shown viability in high-level play, but often with more demanding matchups or narrower windows. Cammy already broke into Top 8 in Vegas; Viper is fresh and still under evaluation but her early review are very good across the board ; Guile and Ken rely heavily on fundamentals and patience.
Blanka was used by MenaRD, the Vegas champion, which gives additional gravitas to his placement, although the character was very discreet in Nice.
B Tier : Viable in the Right Hands
Dhalsim, Juri, Dee Jay, Chun-Li, Luke, Kimberly, Sagat, M. Bison, Zangief
These are capable picks, especially in niche matchups or with strong player skill, but less consistent under pressure across wide pools.
For example, Kobayan's incredible run with Zangief in Evo Nice ended with a crushing 3-0 loss against Blaz, almost unable to contend. That match-up was considered the better one for Kobayan, since facing Mister Crimson's Dhalsim was widely considered an even worse prospect ahead of the loser bracket semi-final.
C / D Tier : Situational / Under-Explored Picks
C Tier: Jamie, Elena, Marisa, Manon
D Tier: Lily, E. Honda
These fighters either lacked presence in both events or struggled against key matchups. Their viability depends heavily on niche strategies or meta shifts.