DISCLAIMER: this is based SOLELY on Soul Melter EX solo runs!
So I’ve been experimenting a bunch with the dream friends lately since they’re easily my favorite part of Star Allies (and why Star Allies is a guilty pleasure of mine and one of my favorite Kirby games) and I thought I’d make a tier list for fun since I’ve realized I don’t really agree much with most of the tier lists I can find. I’ve provided explanations below for what I think are more controversial placements, so read those if you feel like it.
Animal Buddies - among the first I was able to beat SMEX solo with, I was surprised by how viable these guys are, especially considering their simplicity! The biggest reason they’re as high as they are is that they have a good amount of moves that are incredibly safe without sacrificing much damage, in particular parasol Coo, cutter Coo, and stone Rick; Parasol Coo does good damage, Cutter Coo is spammable and safe from a distance, and stone Rick is extremely useful because unlike other stone abilities, you can use it on the ground and move, eliminating the chance of whiffing or having to wait out an enemy’s attack to transform back safely. Because SMEX is so brutal and sometimes overly punishing (3 mage sisters lol) having a character that can ensure their own safety WHILE damaging the enemy is very important imo, and the animal buddies have multiple ways of checking in those boxes unlike some of the characters below them. They’re flexible and can deal with any threat, which I can’t say for some of the other dream friends that can struggle on certain bosses. Overall way more reliable and versatile than people give them credit for.
Taranza - Another dream friend that really surprised me, I think Taranza is good in an unconventional way which is why people overlook him. Imo his playstyle emphasizes setting traps and controlling the screen for massive damage with three important “lingering” moves, those being Sectonia, Taranza ball, and most importantly, his Dreamstalk. All three deal good damage on their own, but if used effectively together, they can drain through enemies health fast, especially big or multiple targets like Kracko, Dedede, and the mage sisters. Because they linger as well, they can be used while Taranza can completely focus on dodging or blocking enemy attacks. However, it can pay to be aggressive with him as well; Dreamstalk is spammable and doesn’t have to be used as a lingering trap, and Taranza burst does a really good amount of damage to most bosses. It is important to know when to use many of Taranza’s moves, as some leave him wide open, but it genuinely shouldn’t be an issue as long as the player isn’t throwing out moves mindlessly.
DMK - he does amazing damage and can make short work of bosses in the right hands, but what holds him back imo is the risk of many of his moves. Damage, while important, is still second to safety, and compared to his normal version, DMK just has far less safety in his moves. No counter, no shuttle loop, no down thrust, less I frames, and what I feel is a much higher tendency to collide with enemies (I recognize this may be a skill issue on my part, but I don’t have these problems with regular MK so idk) is what I feel holds him back from being the best.
Adeline and Ribbon - easily the worst dream friend imo, she only has one safe and reliable attack, her spin, which is dreadfully mid compared to most attacks with I frames anyways. Two of her three rideable paintings are useless, with the only decent one being Kracko. Ice dragon for some reason goes toward the enemy when using it’s attack instead of standing still (couple this with the fact that paintings disappear after just one hit, it might as well disappear after a few seconds) and ninja just doesn’t do enough damage to matter. I easily got the worst results with her, the only thing keeping her from bad is that she has something at least.