darkSpyro

I am pretty sure this topic has been done before, but a new game is coming very soon, and to celebrate... we may as well rate whatever characters we own (or ones we've played as long enough to get an impression) from worst to best. Feel free to rate them either by element or just in general, and feel free to add comments to whatever characters you'd like. Whatever, just have fun listing them. For me, I'll list mine by the element, and will only rate for the elements I have five or more characters for.

Fire
5. Fire Kraken - Pretty to watch, but his gameplay is just kind of underwhelming. I always have a character I'd rather play.
4. Flameslinger - Decent gameplay, pretty powerful, but his name, figure design, and character design... it's just dull and uninspired.
3. Blast Zone - Not a character I mind playing as, and I like his design, but I just feel something is missing.
2. Eruptor - I guess he's cool? Not a great character, but not a terrible one.
1. Smolderdash - The only Fire element I own that I really enjoy. She's awesome, her gameplay feels inspired by Devil May Cry, and I want more characters with her skill concept. Always fun to play as.

Water
6. Thumpback - He's actually an awesome character, and I adore his figure and design, but I just don't really enjoy playing with the Giants.
5. Whamshell - Another character I consider awesome, but Water is just such a great element that he doesn't hold up against the others. His issue is the paths make it that no matter what, one of his attacks will be useless.
4. Chill - Incredible character. I have no complaints about her whatsoever, just there's three others I like a little more.
3. & 2. Freeze Blade and Wash Buckler - I list both because I can't choose which is better, and they both have attacks for every situation. Excellent characters that are always appropriate to play as.
1. Gill Grunt - One of the original starters, and he's still one of the best. The greatest thing about Gill Grunt is how he isn't overpowered at all, and while he's great to use, he's just so perfectly balanced.

Undead
6. Fright Rider - My least favorite character, and I absolutely hate him. One reason I am so disappointed is he was the single character I wanted the most, and I bought him only to find out he's useless in every situation. Not to mention how he glitches out so terribly in Swap Force, rendering him un-usable.
5. Cynder - No comment really. She's a fine character.
4. Rattle Shake - Like Blast Zone, he's a great character. I just feel something is missing.
3. Chop Chop - Like Chill, I love Chop Chop, but there's two more I find a little better.
2. Roller Brawl - Almost perfect. Roller Brawl was one of the single best characters I've bought, and I am so hyped for her Bone Bash revamp in Superchargers. You simply can't go wrong with her.
1. Hex - Easily my #1 favorite character I own. I don't even have her S2 yet, and I consider her the strongest character I have... granted you master her skills and whatnot. She's challenging to use, but worth every last bit of effort.

Life
6. Bumbleblast - Hear me out... I agree Bumbleblast is an insane, brilliant, near perfect character to use, but he's my least favorite of the element simply because he's too overpowered. You don't need to do anything to rule even Nightmare as him. Bumbleblast is an incredible character, but it just feels like cheating any time I play as him.
5. Stealth Elf - I like her a lot less than Bumbleblast, and she'd be my #6 if it weren't for the 3DS version, which she's just so fun to play as in.
4. Shroomboom - Honestly, he's one of the five characters I play as the most, but critically thinking... the next three are simply better characters who deserve a higher spot.
3. Grilla Drilla - Iunno. I like him, I just don't play as him much at all.
2. Zoo Lou - Severely underrated character. Zoo Lou is a powerful beast who like Hex (just not as much) needs to be figured out to be brought to full potential.
1. Tree Rex - The only Giant I own that as far as I can tell, is the only Giant who's still great in the later games. Definitely deserving of #1.

Magic
6 . Spyro - He plays how Spyro should play, and that's impressive. Sadly, it just doesn't translate too well to this kind of gameplay. For everything he does, there's a character that does it better.
5. Pop Fizz - Such an overrated character, liked only for his cute design. There's just nothing special about Pop Fizz, and I am getting sick of seeing his reposes over the characters that actually deserve them.
4. Ninjini - A missed opportunity. Her design is great, her idea is great, but she's just kind of bland. Not a bad character by any means, but she also isn't really great either.
3. Trap Shadow - He could have been a tad better, but I do think he's underrated. His gameplay is fine, and he's fun to play as, but really... the figure makes it worth it. Possibly my favorite figure I own, who looks like something from a cross between Gargoyles and TMNT.
2. Hoot Loop - An absolute powerhouse, and easily the strongest of the Magic characters I own. His design is cool, the sounds his character makes are beautiful, the animations sparkle and pop out, and each of his attacks are useful. He's just a brilliant character all around.
1. Star Strike - She hit me by surprise. I bought her on sale for four dollars, because it was four dollars, and I expected nothing special. What I got was the most original playstyle I've seen in the series. She isn't even really that powerful, but she's too fun (to both play and watch) to not include as #1. Star Strike is easily one of my top three favorites, up there with Hex and Roller Brawl.

What are yours? Go ahead and get into huge detail like I did, if you'd like. Just because I haven't listed Trap Team characters doesn't mean you can't, so if you own any, please do. And if you're one of the few lucky people who got to test out a Superchargers character, feel free to add them to the list.

for general

I'll just list my personal Top and Bottom 10.

Top 10:

1. Sunburn
   
2. Sprocket
   
3. Zoo Lou
   
4. Lob-Star
   
5. Wind-Up
   
6. Scratch
   
7. Flashwing
   
8. Freeze Blade
   
9. Warnado
   
10. Double Trouble

Bottom 10:

1. Tuff Luck
   
2. Trail Blazer
   
3. Wildfire
   
4. Bat Spin
   
5. Gusto
   
6. Eye-Brawl
   
7. Spotlight
   
8. Drobot
   
9. Terrafin
   
10. Night Shift

(There are a couple I hate, but I do kinda like some of my Bottom 10. I just like the rest of the cast better.)

Life:

Top 3:
1. Stealth Elf;
2. Camo;
3. Stink Bomb;

Honorable mentions: Tuff Luck

Bottom 3:
1. Stump Smash;
2. Zook;
3. Food Fight;

Air:

Top 3:
1. Scratch;
2. Whirlwind;
3. Blades;

Honorable mentions: Boom Jet, Pop Thorn, Swarm

Bottom 3:
1. Jet-Vac;
2. Gusto;
3. Sonic Boom;

Undead:

Top 3:
1. Hex; the reason why I've started Skylanders. Since the first time I saw her, I knew she was going to be my fave. After I was interested in Skylanders and looked it up on the internet, I immediately went to the store and bought her. She waited two months to finally get active and of course, she was the first Skylander I've played with. She was there since the beginning and I did everything to get her as strong as possible. I swore to myself, that I will get every existing Hex figure (Chase variants not included). And after all those years, she's still my unbeatable number 1 and she will always have a special place in my heart, which will never change.
2. Roller Brawl; I was always a big Roller Brawl fan and I'm happy that she's finally getting reposed. At first, I didn't like her as much as Rattle Shake, but time past and my opinion changed, now she's my second favorite Undead Skylander.
3. Rattle Shake; when I first saw him, I literally went crazy. I couldn't wait for gameplay and he was the first figure I grabbed when Swap Force was released. Though as I said before, my opinion has changed. First things first, I hate his Soul Gem, not because it ruins his variant, but because he looks sooo much better with the yellow color scheme. And after the release of the last Waves, I kinda lost the feeling when I first saw him. That's probably because he's in Wave 1 and those characters usually get forgotten throughout the lifetime of the game. However, I still like him and like to think back to the time when I went crazy for him.

Honorable mentions: Bat Spin

Bottom 3:
1. Fright Rider; he's by far one of the worst characters I own. His gameplay is just bland and simply boring. I don't like his character in general either and his third attack is just useless.
2. Eye-Brawl; same reason as for Fright Rider, gameplay and character just too bland.
3. Funny Bone; when I first saw him, I hated him to death! His design was uncreative and he seemed very weak. However, after I got him myself, I didn't hate him that much anymore, though that only changed my mind in the slightest.

Magic:

Top 3:
1. Déjà Vu;
2. Enigma;
3. Ninjini;

Honorable mentions: Star Strike, Trap Shadow, Cobra Cadabra

Bottom 3:
1. Double Trouble;
2. Voodood;
3. Blastermind;

Tech

Top 3:
1. Gearshift;
2. Wind-Up;
3. Sprocket;

Honorable mentions: Spy Rise, Drobot

Bottom 3:
1. Chopper;
2. Jawbreaker;
3. Boomer;

Water:

Top 3:
1. Echo;
2. Punk Shock;
3. Zap;

Honorable mentions: Freeze Blade, Chill, Flip Wreck

Bottom 3:
1. Gill Grunt;
2. Thumpback;
3. Wash Buckler;

Fire:

Top 3:
1. Smolderdash;
2. Torch;
3. Hot Dog;

Honorable mentions: Sunburn, Ignitor

Bottom 3:
1. Ka-Boom;
2. Eruptor;
3. Trail Blazer;

Earth:

Top 3:
1. Scorp;
2. Doom Stone;
3. Flashwing;

Honorable mentions: Terrafin, Head Rush, Rubble Rouser

Bottom 3:
1. Rocky Roll;
2. Prism Break;
3. Sloober Tooth;

I'll list my top 5 favorites per elements :

Magic :
1) Spyro S1 & Dark S1: He is a bit biased because of childhood nostalgia but he still hold his ground well enough.
2) Déjà Vu
3) Hoot Loop
4) Lightcore Star Strike
5) Double Trouble S2

Tech :
1) Drobot S1
2) Jawbreaker
3) Bouncer
4) Chopper
5) Gearshift: Okay, I kind of cheated since I don't own her yet but I know I'll love her when I'll get her.

Fire :
1) Fire Kraken
2) Flameslinger S1: When he was first annouced I hated him but I still got him in the Triple Pack with Drobot & Stump Smash because I didn't have a fire Skylander at the time. He became one of my favorites.
3) Smolderdash: I wasn't interested in her at first but after seeing Paths video I fell in love with her gameplay. I don't regret it at all.
4) Kaboom
5) Sunburn

Water:
1) Wash Buckler
2) Echo
3) Freeze Blade
4) Gill Grunt S1
5) Zap S1: First Skylander I bought months before I got the game thus he has a special place in my heart.

Earth:
1) Flashwing
2) Scorp
3) Granite Crusher
4) Rocky Roll: I wasn't interested in him at first but after seeing Paths video I fell in love with his gameplay. I don't regret it at all.
5) Bash S2: He is one of the few characters that are impossible to find in my country but I was lucky to find one before Trap Team came out.

Air:
1) Pop Thorn: He was overpowered in Swap Force and helped me out in many Nightmare Arena Challenge. He is the first Skylander I maxed out.
2) Lightning Rod S2
3) Free Ranger
4) Blades
5) Polar Whirlwind
Special Mention) Sonic Boom: For a long time she was my only Air Skylander thus she has a special place in my heart.

Undead:
1) Bat Spin
2) Hex S2
3) Rattle Shake
4) Grim Creeper
5) Ghost Roaster: For a long time he was my only Undead Skylander thus he has a special place in my heart.

Life:
1) Bushwack
2) Stump Smash S1
3) Camo S1 & S2
4) High Five
5) Tree Rex

Light & Dark:
1) Knight Light
2) Spot Light
3) Knightmare
4) Blackout

Top 05 worst:
05. Pop Fizz S1
04. Hog Wild Fryno
03. Terrabite
02. Trigger Happy S2
01. Gusto

Top 05 best:
05. Elite Spyro
04. Lightcore Hex
03. Tidal Wave Gill Grunt
02. Scarlet Ninjini
01. Spry

Seeing as how I own at least one of every Skylander except Echo and Spotlight, I'm just going to do a top 5 (barring Light and Dark, obviously) list, or else this post would have over 100 entries--and I don't think anyone would read all that. For all due purposes, this list assumes that all favorites asked for are my favorites from Trap Team.

Air:
5. Series 1 Blades: I like how Blades' twister can sweep up swords and protect him from behind. This trick works well regardless of which path you pick. It's always great hitting enemies with Blades' tail and then letting a sword-filled twister come right up to the foe.
4. Series 1 Fling Kong: I probably should have rated this guy higher. Very high functioning Skylander, especially with his carpet charge that can pass through enemies. On the disc jockey path, Fling Kong's discs bounce off of walls and penetrate foes, which makes it even easier to hit foes. The cymbals are surprisingly fun to use too, if timed well enough.
3. Giant Swarm: Swarm's swarm form has been fun to use ever since Giants, and his attacks are still useful, even though he is a little weaker than in Giants and in SWAP Force. The utility of the Insectsplosion and Bee Cleaver are great for certain situations too.
2. Series 1 Sonic Boom: Echolocation has always been awesome for crowd control, and Sonic Boom is still plenty useful now with this trick.
1. Series 2 Whirlwind: Whirlwind is utterly merciless on Tempest Dragon--she can leave behind thunder clouds that can do hundreds of damage in seconds with the Tempest Matrix upgrade! Wonderful for cleaving through foes with huge health bars and staying on the move after they're down. Her Series 2 Wow POW! (Cloudbursting, I think) pitches in an extra attack when the clouds expire, too.

Magic:
5. Series 3 Spyro: A Sheep burner Spyro is great for ranged warfare (although he was better at it in SWAP Force, back when you had reason to use Daybringer Flame, so charging while running around actually made sense and you didn't one-sidedly do the most damage just by pressing Attack 1 over and over while standing still) and with his Series 3 Wow POW! (Forgot the name), it makes charging more realistic for controlling crowds. Great balance!
4. Series 1 Deja Vu: Deja Vu's ability to cause so much destruction in a tremendous area with her past self is fantastic. Even if she isn't facing her foe, it doesn't even matter when the battlefield is covered in space-time shots and black holes. She's great at spreading damage around!
3. Giant Ninjini: Ninjini's scimitar swings cover an area while she's moving, which is fun to abuse. Her ranged attacks are helpful too.
2. Trap Team Enigma: Much like Ninjini, but I think I like Enigma better, due to the higher damage staff swings, stealth aspects and Paradox Pound. Knocking foes back in the middle of their attacks is obnoxious--so obnoxious, it's downright fun!
1. Lightcore Star Strike: Sure Star Strike has a steep learning curve, but once you understand how to deflect her star, she can focus on staying on the move and letting her star smash enemies for her by deflecting it. Factor in her ability to deflect projectiles, and Star Strike is fantastic!

Undead:
5. Trap Team Short Cut: Short Cut's puppet props are massively fun to abuse (You don't even have to stop moving to use them!), but I don't see why so many people say he has bad damage output. His Cutting Frenzy can do a massive amount of damage in a hurry and using his attack where you hold Attack 1 and open up a rift when you release just takes a second to charge and can combine into punishing follow-up attacks.
4. Series 1 Bat Spin: Either one of Bat Spin's paths are good, but I prefer her bat path, because her attacks start doing collateral damage and her mobility in her bat form is great! Her bat absorbing attack is good too, although she does suffer from weak projectiles (but even then, her soul gem helps with that).
3. SWAP Force Rattle Drilla: Okay, okay! So he's also part Life-elemental. He's still undead, and his performance is awesome when you combine his deputy snake with his turrets. You can focus on letting his props shoot enemies for you while you focus one evading attacks and counter attacking.
2. Series 2 Chop Chop: It has to be a Series 2 Chop Chop specifically for me, because I have loved the Series 2 Undead Defender Chop Chop's style of play since Giants. Blocking damage and using it to power up your attacks is so fun and ensures you survive that much longer! Factor in Chop Chop's mobility with his sword and he can be trusted in dangerous situations.
1. Series 1 Cynder: The queen of my collection, Cynder has been my favorite Skylander since SWAP Force. Using her shadow dive to zip beneath attacking opponents and pop up behind them and zap them with her electric breath while their attacks fizzle never gets old, and I love her dynamic style of play where you're always accomplishing something instead of having downtime where you're waiting for the chance to attack again. Cynder is the perfect manifestation of my technique.

Light:
1. Trap Team Knight Light: Spotlight isn't listed for reasons above, but even if she was, I still think Knight Light would be number one. I love using his teleportation attack on the path that strengthens his scimitar swings to pop up behind enemies as they're attacking and hit them from behind. He's one of my favorites of all, much like Cynder, whose style is also similar.

Water:
5. Series 2 Zap: His Slime Serpent path isn't the strongest, but is great for keeping enemies away. He only really has trouble with enemies who don't need to follow him.
4. Series 1 Rip Tide: Rip Tide's ability to use his corkscrew charge with the swordfish on the swordfish-enhancing path is great for passing directly through enemies and winding up behind them so he can swing at them with his fish from behind or do an overhead whale slam!
3. Trap Team Snap Shot: Really great for ranged attacks, especially with his charged water arrow (for the arrow-enhancing path only), which does a ton of damage, penetrates enemies and only takes a second to charge!
2. SWAP Force Freeze Blade: I've always loved how Blade's penalty frost upgrade freezes down a huge area and Blade's charged chakram can deal damage in a huge area. Wonderfully disruptive and great at controlling crowds!
1. Series 1 Wham-Shell: Mace of the Deep is his only good attack, but what an attack it is! It does huge damage up close and in a big area. His other attacks are slower, and inefficient, but he's still great if you don't mind doing the same thing most of the time.

After having completed my post, reasons for my picks from here on out had to be cut due to the post's excessive length.

Fire:
5. Giant Hot Head
4. Trap Team Wildfire
3. Trap Team Ka-Boom
2. Series 1 Sunburn
1. Series 2 Ignitor

Life:
5. Mini Barkley
4. Series 1 High Five
3. SWAP Force Rattle Drilla
2. Trap Team Bushwhack
1. Series 1 Stealth Elf

Dark:
2. Trap Team Night Mare
1. Series 1 Blackout

Tech:
5. (Open slot)
4. Series 1 Boomer
3. Trap Team Jawbreaker
2. Series 1 Tread Head
1. Series 1 Drobot

Earth:
5. Series 3 Terrafin
4. Series 1 Flashwing
3. Series 1 Scorp
2. Series 1 Slobertooth
1. Trap Team Wallop

Mine's on my profile. Check it there if you want.

My favorite?
Magic:
1. S2 Spyro: Don't Dare the Dragon!
2. Giant Ninjini: KATANAS!
3. Voodood: AXE!
4. Hoot Loop: FLIPENDO!
5. Blastermind: TELEKINESIS!
Water:
1. S2 Gill Grunt: Can't beat the classics!
2. Echo: Don't Dare the Water Dragoness!
3. Zap: Don't Dare the Water Dragon!
4. Thumpback: SUPERSTRENGTH
5. Slam Bam: FOUR ARMED COMBOES!
Tech:
1. S2 Trigger Happy: Can't Beat the Classics!
2. Drobot: Don't Dare the Tech Dragon!
3. Sprocket: SPROCKET WRENCH!
4. Bouncer: Giants equivalent to Trigger Happy!
5. Boomer: SOMEONE'S GOTTA LOVE HIM!
Undead:
1. Cynder: Don't Dare the Undead Dragoness!
2. Chop Chop: SLICE AND DICE!
3. Eye Brawl: EYE BRAWL SMASH!
4. Krypt King: IS LITTERALLY CHOP CHOP ON STEROIDS!
5.Fright Rider: THE ONLY MOUNTED KNIGHT SKYLANDER!
Air:
1. Whirlwind: Don't Dare the Air Dragoness-Unicorn!
2. Blades: Don't Dare the Air Dragon Knight!
3. Stormblade: She looks fun!
4. Scratch: Sphinx ftw!
5.Sonic Boom: Gryphon ftw!
Fire:
1. Sunburn: Don't Dare the Fire Dragon-Phoenix!
2. Spitfire: Don't Dre the Fire Dragon Spirit!
3. Fire Kraken: Don't Dare the Ryu no Kai (Fire Eastern Dragon)
4. Ignitor: FLAMING SWORD!
5. Smoulderdash: SUPER SAIYAN!
Life:
1. Camo: Don't Dare the Life Dragon-Plant
2. High Five: Don't Dare the Life Dragon-Dragonfly
3. Stealth Elf: My go to when Spyro isn't doing the trick!
4. Stump Smash: ONE SLASHES THE OTHER ONE SMASHES!
5. Tree Rex: A GIANT ENT WITH A SOLARBEAM/PHOTOSYNTHETIC CANNON!
Earth:
1. Flashwing: Don't Dare the Earth Gem Dragoness!
2. Bash: Don't Dare the Earth Dragon!
3. Crusher: Massive Hamer
4. Prism Break: LAZORZ
5. Terrafin: FIST KING FTW!
Light:
1. Spotlight: Don't Dare the Light Dragoness!
2. Knight Light: He's a freaking Angel!
3. Luminous: He's a freaking Alien!
Darkness:
1. Blackout: Don't Dare the Dark Dragon!
2. Knight Mare: She's a freaking Centauress!
3. Nightfall: She's freaking Nightfall!
Items:
1. Dragon's Peak
2. Sparx Dragonfly
3. Golden Dragonfire Cannon
4. Volcanic Vault
5. Treasure Chest (AKA Dragon's Hoard)
Traps:
1. Kaos
2. Magic-Pain-Yatta
3. Water-The Gulper
4. Tech-Dr. Krankcase
5. Undead-Wolfgang
Vehicles:
1. Hot Streak
2. Reef Ripper
3. Gold Rusher
4. Sun Runner
5. Sea Shadow
Cups:
1. Kaos
2. Sky
3. Sea
4. Land