Introduction

The last day of the ranking is here! While I will be posting detailed follow-ups on Friday, this article will cover the top twenty five players in 2019. This will feature players who’ve stayed consistent in 2019 or had particularly strong front or back halves to their years, with extensive set records.

Once again, thanks to all those who read InTheLoop! Ultimate’s first year has been an amazing success, and I hope this ranking Freezie & I made is a proper celebration of it.

#25 – Raito

Raito remains the world’s best Duck Hunt main going into Ultimate. Despite initial struggles in January, Raito went on to get deep runs at various super majors during 2019, peaking in the Spring & Summer with runs at Albion 4, UJM 2019, and EVO 2019 that gave him a cavalcade of important wins. Later in the year, Raito added Banjo to his arsenal.

#24 – Rivers

Rivers is the first player on the ranking with such clean records on both the top 20 and top 100, being positive against both. His Chrom is noted as his best character by far, famed for his lengthy & brutal sequences, but he also carries a very strong Diddy Kong secondary – his Smash 4 main. His proximity to Tristate has granted him access to wins on most of Tristate’s top players.

#23 – MuteAce

South Florida’s late-arriving talent in Smash 4 catapulted onto the scene in Ultimate when he defeated ZeRo at Smash Conference United. While an early storyline that meant less as ZeRo went on to retire, MuteAce became a more traditional meta threat in 2019.

He cooled off a lot of Zackray’s momentum by defeating him in winners at Frostbite 2019 and continued to rack up various wins across the year, culminating in a fantastic Mainstage, where he defeated Cosmos, Pandarian, and Dabuz to make top 8.

#22 – KEN

Despite only attending 1 USA event – and having an uncharacteristic underperformance at it – KEN clocks in at an impressive 22nd through in-country consistency and a healthy serving of wins over other top 100 players. He is also the only player on the top 100 with a positive record versus MKLeo, scoring a 2-1 set record in him at EGS Cup.

#21 – ProtoBanham

Once an obscure wifi warrior in Smash 4, ProtoBanham took up the mantle as the world’s best Lucina rapidly in the spring & summer of 2019. It started with an emphatic run at Umebura Japan Major where he defeated Cosmos, Tea, and other top players, and continued to a much-hyped up nailbiter set with MKLeo and a bulldozer run at EVO where he finished fifth.

Outside of his bomb performance at Umebura SP 7, ProtoBanham is one of the most consistent players of 2019. His in-country wins have done a lot to support his score, and his close sets with various top players likely contributed to his high panel ranking.

#20 – LeoN

Right when people had seemingly given up on Bowser after his up throw-up air kill confirm was lost, LeoN came along to prove that the character is still incredible – just different. Sporting some of the best reads in the business, LeoN became well-known after six stocking Cosmos at Smash N’ Splash 5, and continued to be perform well at the Tristate major Defend the North 2019.

At DTN, he went on a run that saw him taking wins off of Marss, Light, & Dabuz, three of the Northeast’s best players. Unsurprisingly, he also has a win on Nairo from Suplex City Smash, making him one of New Jersey’s biggest titans.

#19 – Dark Wizzy

While many were fearful for Mario’s metagame early in Ultimate, Dark Wizzy seems to have quelled those fears more than any other active Mario. Starting off with a 17th at GENESIS 6, Wizzy continued to perform well throughout most of the year, stacking up win after win, peaking at a crisp 5th during Shine 2019.

His supermajor record is a tad bit mixed, but his regular major record is strikingly consistent, and is where many of his best wins were acquired over the year. Among these Category 4 events, he most notably took sets off of Suarez, LeoN, Goblin, and Cosmos to place 4th at DreamHack Atlanta.

#18 – Myran

Despite a mid-year slump, Myran’s sheer amount of consistency at the majority of events he’s attended and his stunning first half of the year made it a guarantee he’d place on the top 25% of the list this year. Featuring 2nd, 3rd, and 9th placing at supermajors, Myran racked up multiple wins on Shuton, wins on Marss & Light, and even took an unexpected win on Zackray later in the year at Mainstage.

#17 – Salem

By far the most controversial player on this list due to his feuding with the Melee scene, Salem has still retained his ability to do well in tournaments. He’s piloted Link, Hero, Shulk, and Snake to success across the year, making him one of the more varied character players on this list.

In addition to his lengthy win list that includes a decisive MKLeo set at Pound 2019, Salem also holds the title of major winner after defeating Nicko in Grand Finals at Port Priority 5.

#16 – VoiD

SoCal’s year has been a huge mixed bag, VoiD’s varied records included. Despite struggling, VoiD is still breathing, and manages both early, mid, & late year performances utilizing both Pichu at events like GENESIS 6 and Sheik at Mainstage. He currently holds the best Sheik run under his belt due to his performance at Mainstage.

He’ll be a player to watch out for in 2020 as his Sheik play inevitably refines further. If Sheik doesn’t work out for him, he could become another Joker adopter, a character he’s tried briefly that he could likely optimize quickly.

#15 – Kameme

An early 25that Frostbite might have been discouraging for fans of the world’s best Mega Man, especially taking his low-key 2018 from Smash 4 in mind. However, Kameme built up incredible momentum as the year went on, winning the largest Japanese supermajor, defeating MKLeo at EVO, and contributing to the historic top 4 Japanese lockout of American players at 2GG: Switchfest.

He also won the latter, putting him in the increasingly large club of Japanese players who have won American majors. While he still pilots Mega Man to perfect proficiency, he’s brought back a Brawl favorite of his – Wario – to great effect. By 2020, it appear he may outright co-main the two, making him one of the best active Wario players in the world.

#14 – ESAM

With Pikachu’s ascension to be a solid #1 candidate, it’s no surprise to see ESAM back in the top 15. Ultimate has proven to be something he needed to kick his metagame into high gear, netting wins on several top players throughout the year. He’s also become far more consistent. Despite a couple of early duds, he’s been more of a presence in late bracket at supermajors this year.

Speaking, of, he won the MDVA supermajor Glitch 7 – marking this first time he’s ever won any kind of Smash major. It wasn’t easy, either – he had to take sets off of LeoN, Nairo, Tweek, and Light in order to finally close out his long-awaited victory.

#13 – Maister

Controversially low on multiple mid-year rankings, the CDMX Game & Watch player kicked things into high gear rapidly as the year continued onwards. Initially pessimistic about Game & Watch, Maister grew confident in his character’s tools, and led the characters metagame until he began to consistently place in the top 6 at supermajors by the end of the year.

The rapid and intense turnaround has caused some backlash towards his character, but nonetheless, Maister has stayed strong and racked up a near endless collection of wins, carrying positive records over both the top 20 and top 100 and wins over players from all over the world.

#12 – Cosmos

Corrin may have declined, but Cosmos hasn’t at all. His decision to pick up the neutral-heavy Inkling early in Ultimate proved beneficial, as he became known as one of the game’s most consistent players through much of early-mid 2019. While he, like most, eventually ran into trouble at events like EVO, he still has a lengthy sheet of wins against the top 30 and top 100.

#11 – Tea

We saw shades of Tea’s potential in 2018 when he helped revived his characters seemingly dead metagame, but it’s unlikely anybody could have predicted just how strong of a force Tea would be going into Ultimate. Benefitting from a buffed Pac-Man, Tea became the most consistent Japanese player at American events, frequently placing in top 16s, constantly overperforming his seeds, and constantly picking up win after win.

It says a lot that a character specialist can claim to have dominant sets on Dabuz, Samsora, Tweek, Marss, Maister, & more. Tea is one of 2019’s biggest surprises.

#10 – Shuton

Our next supermajor winner had a thoroughly impressive year. While we saw some slips later on, no amount of nerfs could possibly stop this man’s journey to become one of Japan’s most powerful players. In 2019, he’s taken sets off of nearly every relevant Japanese player and holds definitive records over Nairo & Light.

Additionally, he’s built something of a friendly rivalry with Zackray, as the two regularly trade sets. His win over Zackray at the Japanese supermajor Umebura SP 5 stands as the peak of these, where it ended in a climatic and well-received ten game Grand Finals.

#9 – zackray

The Smash community seems to love stories of young prodigies breaking out and absolutely crushing the competition. This is where Zackray’s story began – the Corrin main and late-arrival in Smash 4 began Ultimate by not dropping tournaments to anybody in Japan, and caught international attention for his performance at GENESIS 6.

While he’d see some cool downs at Frostbite and heart breaking losses at Super Smash Con, Zackray stayed strong, continuing to perform well at events with an ever-expanding roster that came to include the best R.O.B. and Wolf the scene had seen to date. Everything culminated into an explosive loser’s run at The Big House 9, where, after losing to Maister, Zackray proceeded to trail through a lengthy list of top 10 players in order to win one of the biggest supermajors in 2019.

#8 – Light

Momentum is a term that can apply to many players on this list, but it may be most applicable to the sleeve-raising, parry-master Fox from New England. Noted for his rise to become one of the world’s biggest threats in Smash 4, Light kicked off Ultimate with a bang of intense and consistent performances.

Sets weren’t over until they were over; he had the ability to pull incredible & insane comebacks. Despite some occasional dud events, Light never seemed to suffer through any period of notable decline, always coming to the next event pumped & ready to go. His 77-43 win record is one of the best on today’s list.

#7 – Dabuz

The King of New York, Dabuz, continues his top 10 streak in Ultimate. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, as his extensive note keeping and famed analytical skill have kept him on the top of the metagame for several years. He initially stuck with his Brawl main – Olimar – before including characters like Palutena & his Sm4sh main Rosalina into his collection of characters.

All three have proven to be very powerful, and outside of Smash Con, he’s been a near perpetual force to be reckoned with at every event he’s attended this year.

#6 – Glutonny

While most would’ve considered Glutonny a threat to look out for in Ultimate, his absolute skyrocketing in position from Smash 4 to Ultimate is truly incredible. His 17th at GENESIs 6 – a solid placement for most – proved to be his only sub-top 12 placement the entire year, making him one of the year’s most consistent players.

During a year where Europe has done very well, Glutonny has become their best asset, from the strongest European region in terms of player depth for 2019. Glutonny’s insistence on remaining a character specialist has paid off for him & his continent, breaking the top 10 and proving he has what it takes to be one of the best players in the world.

#5 – Nairo

Despite sidelining Zero Suit Samus, Nairo has gone on to prove – to no one’s surprise – he can main any character and do exceptionally well with them. His character collection is notoriously vast, including a Ganondorf pick that netted him a famous win on Light.

Despite his lengthy character list, his reliable main- Palutena – proved to be all he needed to take the supermajor event Mainstage, with a set over MKLeo for good measure. Needless to say, Nairo’s long-time stint as a top Smash player continues into Ultimate with no signs of stopping.

#4 – Marss

Marss had persistently hovered in the top 15 range in Smash 4, and early Ultimate proved to be a bit arduous for Zero Suit Samus. However, he would soon completely shift the game, becoming one of MKLeo’s biggest rivals and a persistent meta threat going into Ultimate. Earlier losses at supermajors like GENESIS and Frostbite seemed to look more like he had simply lost to some of the game’s strongest contenders.

As things progressed, Marss and his assortment of characters would go on to be a persistent threat, winning multiple majors and solidifying New England’s status as one of Ultimate’s very best regions.

#3 – Samsora

Many correctly assumed that Peach’s ascension to top tier status in Ultimate would be beneficial for Samsora. Those people were correct, as Samsora’s 2019 has shown itself to be almost nothing but success after success. He is extremely consistent. Not just in his consistent bracket placements that see him in top 8s regularly, but in his incredibly consistent loss profile, rarely losing to non-top 20 players and frequently amassing win versus them.

His story seemed to peak at Shine 2019, where after months of struggling to defeat MKLeo, he managed to do so twice in order to win the supermajor and claim his crown. He didn’t slow down much afterwards, and continued to be a major threat to the year’s end.

#2 – Tweek

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we end 2019 how we began it: Tweek & MKLeo in an endless war to see who the absolute best at Ultimate is. Tweek couldn’t quite manage it, but he has an endless supply of successful tournaments all the same. It’d be fair to say that his main obstacle in 2019 – despite early success versus him – was MKLeo.

His combination of Wario & Wolf made him an early supermajor winner at Frostbite 2019, and he’s since experimented with numerous characters. His Pokemon Trainer netted him 2nd at EVO, 3rd at SSC, and 1st at Low Tier City 7, while his briefly lived Joker showed potential at late-year Tristate events where he took sets off of Dabuz and Nairo.

By the end of the year, however, he stuck by Wario, running through a myriad of close, nail-biting game 5 sets in order to place 2nd at Kongo Saga. Tweek’s 2-1 record over the top 20 shows he can beat anybody, and if he ever finally takes a set on MKLeo, he may be positioned for the coveted #1 spot.

#1 – MKLeo

Once the prince of Smash 4, MKLeo has long since become the undisputed king of Ultimate. You could’ve seen it coming when he won his third GENESIS in a row, but some remained skeptical when he struggled during April & May.

Then, Joker happened. Adopting the character quickly and running through a trial by fire at Umebura Japan Major, he forged the most refined Joker the metagame has seen yet, even after months of people variably trying to make the character work. Some have succeeded, but none come even remotely close to the sheer efficiency & precision of MKLeo’s.

Sporting wins on every player he has managed to fight this year and carrying a total of seven supermajor wins under his belt, MKLeo is consider the man to beat at any event he attends.

He is capable of being beaten, even after picking up Joker, but his mental fortitude has demonstrated itself to be unparalleled. Despite losing many sets during or in the lead-up to top 8s, MKLeo frequently manages to just run through his opponents all the same.

This is the champion of Ultimate. By panel vote and by algorithm, MKLeo is the uncontested #1. While not as insanely dominant as ZeRo was in early Smash 4, MKLeo is stunningly close to that, and has had one of the best years a player could ever hope for. For Ultimate, many of the game’s narratives will be built on one question: Who can defeat MKLeo?