Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R features Zappa, Testament, and Baiken as the undisputed S-tier characters who dominate the competitive meta. These top-tier fighters possess unique tools and playstyles that force opponents into unfavorable matchups, making them the premier choices for tournament play in November 2025.
| Tier | Characters | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| S Tier | Zappa, Testament, Baiken | Game-breaking mechanics, favorable matchups, tournament dominance |
| A Tier | Faust, Dizzy, Millia, Eddie, Jam | Strong tools, high damage potential, versatile playstyles |
| B Tier | I-No, Venom, Chipp, Axl, Sol Badguy | Solid fundamentals, character-specific strengths |
| C Tier | Slayer, Ky Kiske, May, Order-Sol | Niche strengths, require specific playstyles |
| D Tier | Bridget, Anji, Robo-Ky, Johnny | Significant weaknesses, matchup dependent |
| F Tier | Potemkin, Justice, ABA, Kliff | Struggle in current meta, limited tournament success |
The Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R competitive scene has reached a mature state where character rankings have stabilized through years of tournament results and community analysis. Unlike many fighting games where tier lists fluctuate dramatically, +R's meta has remained relatively consistent, with a clear hierarchy emerging from both community voting and competitive performance.
Contents
Our comprehensive tier list combines data from multiple authoritative sources including EventHubs community voting, Japanese arcade win rates, and tournament results from major events like EVO 2024 and Combo Breaker 2024. This multi-source approach ensures we capture both theoretical character strength and practical tournament performance.
Why Zappa is S Tier: Zappa reigns supreme in the current meta due to his completely unique summon-based gameplay that no other character can replicate. His strength lies in the complete unpredictability of his ghost summons, which can completely shift the flow of battle at any moment. When Zappa summons one of his three RNG ghosts (Raou, Sword, or Dog), he transitions from a relatively weak character to an overwhelming force that can control the screen and deal massive damage.
Key Strengths:
Notable Matchups:
Tournament Performance: Zappa has been a consistent top performer in major tournaments, with several players achieving top 8 placements at EVO 2024 and Combo Breaker 2024. His ability to steal rounds through lucky summons makes him a terrifying tournament character.
Why Testament is S Tier: Testament represents the pinnacle of zoning characters in +R, with a toolkit designed to frustrate opponents and control the pace of battle. His curse mechanic is perhaps the most powerful debuff in the game, forcing opponents to play recklessly while taking constant chip damage. Testament's ability to control space with projectiles and traps makes him nearly impossible to approach for many characters.
Key Strengths:
Notable Matchups:
Tournament Performance: Testament has been a staple in high-level tournament play for years, with consistent results across multiple major events. His ability to control the flow of matches makes him a reliable tournament character that excels in long sets.
Why Baiken is S Tier: Baiken's inclusion in S tier comes from her unique parry system that can completely turn the tide of battle. Unlike other characters who must block or dodge attacks, Baiken can parry strikes and projectiles, immediately countering with powerful reversal options. This defensive tool, combined with her strong offensive capabilities, makes her a formidable opponent at all levels of play.
Key Strengths:
Notable Matchups:
Tournament Performance: Baiken has seen significant tournament success, particularly at EVO 2024 where multiple Baiken players reached top 8. Her ability to steal rounds through well-timed parries makes her a high-risk, high-reward tournament character.
Faust sits at the top of A tier due to his completely unpredictable item-based gameplay. His ability to throw random items creates chaotic situations that many characters struggle to deal with consistently. While not as dominant as the S tier trio, Faust's unique playstyle and strong neutral game make him a tournament-viable character with strong representation in competitive play.
Key Strengths:
Dizzy combines strong zoning capabilities with terrifying offensive pressure, making her one of the most versatile characters in the game. Her fish projectiles allow for excellent screen control, while her aerial mobility and mix-up potential make her a constant threat. Dizzy's ability to switch between zoning and aggressive pressure makes her adaptable to various matchups and playstyles.
Key Strengths:
Millia represents the pinnacle of rushdown characters in +R, with blinding speed and terrifying okizeme (wake-up pressure). Her ability to maintain constant pressure and create ambiguous situations makes her a nightmare for defensive players. While she requires exceptional execution to play at high level, her reward potential is among the highest in the game.
Key Strengths:
Eddie's strength comes from his ability to control space with his shadow familiar, creating situations where opponents must deal with multiple threats simultaneously. This unique mechanic allows Eddie to maintain pressure while staying relatively safe, making him a formidable character in the right hands.
Key Strengths:
Jam combines strong rushdown capabilities with excellent defensive tools, making her a well-rounded character that excels in close-range combat. Her ability to charge attacks for increased damage and her strong parry options make her a formidable opponent at all ranges.
Key Strengths:
I-No's strength lies in her excellent mobility and strong projectile game, allowing her to control space effectively while maintaining the ability to rush down when needed. Her chemical love tracking projectile is one of the best zoning tools in the game, and her aerial mobility makes her difficult to pin down.
Key Strengths:
Venom's unique pool-based gameplay allows him to control space in ways no other character can replicate. His ability to set up multiple pool balls and create complex patterns makes him a formidable zoning character, though he requires significant matchup knowledge to play effectively.
Key Strengths:
Chipp represents the ultimate glass cannon character in +R, with incredible speed and mobility but extremely low health. His ability to zip around the screen and create lightning-fast mix-ups makes him terrifying to face, though one mistake can cost him the round.
Key Strengths:
Axl excels at controlling space with his long-range pokes and chains, making him one of the best zoning characters in the game. His ability to keep opponents at distance while chipping away at their health makes him a formidable defensive character, though he struggles once opponents get past his range.
Key Strengths:
Sol represents the most straightforward character in +R, with strong fundamentals and no complex mechanics to master. While he lacks the unique tools of higher-tier characters, his solid normals and good damage output make him a reliable choice for players who prefer fundamental-based gameplay.
Key Strengths:
Slayer's strength comes from his powerful command grabs and strong punish game, making him a formidable character in the right hands. However, his relatively slow movement and limited approach options make him struggle against characters who can control space effectively.
Ky combines strong zoning capabilities with solid rushdown tools, making him a versatile character. However, his jack-of-all-trades nature means he doesn't excel at any particular aspect, leaving him outclassed by specialists in each area.
May's strength lies in her powerful command grab and strong horizontal pokes, making her effective at close-range combat. However, her slow movement and limited approach options make her predictable and easy to zone out.
Order-Sol's unique charge mechanic allows him to power up his attacks for increased damage, making him a formidable character when fully charged. However, the time required to charge leaves him vulnerable, and his uncharged state is significantly weaker.
Bridget's yo-yo-based gameplay is unique but struggles in the current meta. His setup-heavy playstyle requires significant time to establish, and many characters can easily disrupt his gameplan before it gets going.
Anji's autoguard and fan-based gameplay give him unique defensive options, but his relatively weak offense and limited approach options make him struggle against competent zoning characters.
Robo-Ky's unique mechanics and resource management give him interesting gameplay options, but his overall weak toolkit and high execution requirements make him a subpar choice in the current meta.
Johnny's coin-based gameplay and strong normal attacks give him solid fundamentals, but his relatively slow movement and limited approach options make him predictable and easy to counter.
Potemkin's grappler-based gameplay is severely hampered by his extremely slow movement and limited approach options. In a game dominated by zoning and mobility, Potemkin struggles to close distance and apply his grab-based pressure.
Justice's large hurtbox and relatively slow movement make her an easy target for faster characters. While she has strong projectiles, her overall weak defensive options leave her vulnerable to rushdown characters.
ABA's unique key mechanic and transformation gameplay give her interesting options, but her overall weak toolkit and high execution requirements make her one of the weakest characters in the game.
Kliff's large sword and strong normals give him solid range, but his extremely low health and slow movement make him a glass cannon with significant defensive weaknesses.
The current GGXX AC+R meta is defined by three key factors that have shaped the tier list:
Characters with strong zoning capabilities (Testament, Dizzy, Faust) thrive in the current meta because they can control space effectively and limit opponent options. This trend is reflected in both community voting and tournament results, with zoning characters consistently performing well.
Characters with completely unique mechanics (Zappa's summons, Baiken's parries) are ranked highly because they force opponents to play differently than they would against other characters. This uniqueness creates matchup-specific advantages that can be exploited at high levels of play.
The tier list heavily weights tournament performance, with characters that have consistent top 8 results (Zappa, Testament, Baiken) being ranked higher than those with limited competitive success. This practical approach ensures the tier list reflects actual gameplay rather than theoretical potential.
This matchup showcases the clash between two S-tier characters with completely different playstyles. Zappa's summon-based gameplay can bypass Testament's zoning, but Testament's curse mechanic can neutralize Zappa's effectiveness. The matchup often comes down to who can establish their gameplan first.
This matchup highlights the struggle between zoning and defense. Testament's projectiles and traps can control space effectively, but Baiken's parry system can turn those zoning attempts into punishing counterattacks. The matchup requires both players to play carefully and respect their opponent's options.
This A-tier matchup demonstrates the battle between two zoning characters with different approaches. Faust's item-based chaos can disrupt Dizzy's fish-based zoning, but Dizzy's superior mobility and mix-up potential can overwhelm Faust's defensive options.
Zappa's summon-based gameplay creates completely unique situations that opponents struggle to deal with consistently. His ability to transform from a weak character to an overwhelming force through random summons makes him the most unpredictable and powerful character in the game.
While lower-tier characters face significant disadvantages, skilled players can still achieve success with them through matchup knowledge and superior fundamentals. Characters like Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske, while not top-tier, have seen tournament success in the right hands.
The GGXX AC+R meta is relatively stable compared to modern fighting games, as the game hasn't received balance updates in years. However, matchup discoveries and new tech can cause minor shifts in character rankings over time.
For beginners, characters with straightforward mechanics like Sol Badguy or Ky Kiske are recommended. These characters have solid fundamentals and don't require complex execution or matchup-specific knowledge to play effectively.
Matchup knowledge is extremely important in GGXX AC+R due to the diverse cast and unique character mechanics. Understanding specific matchups can often be more important than overall character strength, especially at intermediate levels of play.
The GGXX AC+R community is most active on Discord, with several servers dedicated to the game. Additionally, platforms like Steam and Fightcade have active player bases for online matches.
The Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R tier list reflects a mature meta where character strengths are well-defined through years of competitive play and community analysis. While Zappa, Testament, and Baiken stand atop the tier list as the undisputed S-tier characters, the diverse cast offers viable options for players of all skill levels and playstyles.
Whether you're a competitive player looking to climb tournament brackets or a casual player seeking to understand the game's balance, this comprehensive tier list provides the insights needed to make informed character choices and understand the current competitive landscape. Remember that while tier lists provide valuable guidance, personal skill and matchup knowledge often trump character strength in actual gameplay.
Stay tuned to community resources and tournament results for the latest developments in the ever-evolving GGXX AC+R meta, and may your journey through the world of Guilty Gear be filled with exciting matches and continuous improvement!