I won’t bore anybody here with any extra things you don’t want to hear about, since I know why anybody would want to read this article. With the world being crazy right now, it’s almost poetic how it was matched by an equally crazy past year of Melee. The first time I did this, it was moreso a reestablishment of the ranking put out a year prior, and nice and easy to write about. This one, though, was insane, with so many twists and turns I’ll never forget, which made this article extremely difficult to write.

Without further ado, here we go!

In the time between both articles, the following majors took place:

Pound 2019

GOML 2019

Smash N Splash 5

Smash Summit 8

Low Tier City 7

Super Smash Con 2019

Shine 2019

Mainstage 2019

The Big House 9

EGLX 2019

Pika’s Mango’s Birthday Bash

Mango’s Birthday Bash GENESIS 7

Smash Summit 9.

Other notable tournaments include CEO 2019 and Smash Camp: End of Summer. There were also some other large tourneys that didn’t quite meet my definitions of a major or near-major, such as Full Bloom 5, Fete and Saving Mr. Lombardi 2, but were important nonetheless.

At these tournaments, the following Top 8 placings occured:

Mango: 9 Top 8s, 7 Top 4s, 4 Grand Finals, 3 Major Wins & 2 Supermajor Wins

Hungrybox: 13 Top 8s, 10 Top 4s, 10 Grand Finals, 6 Major Wins & 1 Supermajor Win.

Zain: 11 Top 8s, 8 Top 4s, 3 Grand Finals, 1 Major Win & 1 Supermajor Win

Axe: 5 Top 8s, 3 Top 4s, 3 Grand Finals, 1 Major Win & 1 Supermajor Win

Wizzrobe: 4 Top 8s, 4 Top 4s, 2 Grand Finals, 1 Major Win & 1 Supermajor Win

Leffen: 7 Top 8s, 5 Top 5s, 1 Grand Finals & 1 Major Win

Plup: 5 Top 8s, 2 Top 4s & 1 Grand Finals

S2J: 4 Top 8s, 1 Top 4 & 1 Grand Finals

iBDW: 5 Top 8s & 2 Top 4s

n0ne: 4 Top 8s & 2 Top 4s

Hax$: 2 Top 8s & 2 Top 4s

SFAT: 5 Top 8s & 1 Top 4

aMSa: 4 Top 8s & 1 Top 4

Fiction: 3 Top 8s & 1 Top 4

ChuDat: 2 Top 8s & 1 Top 4

Moky: 3 Top 8s

Lucky: 3 Top 8s

Shroomed: 2 Top 8s

Swedish Delight: 2 Top 8s

Albert: 1 Top 8

lloD: 1 Top 8

Ginger: 1 Top 8

PewPewU: 1 Top 8

ARMY: 1 Top 8

Soonsay: 1 Top 8

Null: 1 Top 8

A total of 26 Players were able to make Top 8 at a major this year, one less than the previous. However, 15 were able to cinch a Top 4 position, 8 secured Grand Finals, and 6 managed to win the whole thing. This of course, matches last year, which is impressive as that was the most since 2007 at the time. The top field of Melee is insanely stacked at this point, with many different players vying for position at the very top.

Once again, Hungrybox reigns supreme, though not as decisively as last year, with Mango acquiring more supermajor victories than him in the timeframe, though Hbox continued to impress with ruthless consistency. Hungrybox attended every single major, and made Top 8 at all 13 of them! Hungrybox has now found his way to an astonishing 34 Major wins, more than anybody else in history by a wide margin. Mango takes up a respectable second place, with 26 major victories, while Armada holds bronze at only 21. Notably for Mango, his incredible 1st place at GOML 2019 was his first major victory since Super Smash Con 2017, making it the 2nd longest major win drought for him in history behind only his Scorpion Master phase. In addition, for supermajor victories, Mango’s double win in 2019 allowed him to tie Armada at 11 apiece for 1st place in this regard, with Hungrybox barely in 3rd with 10. Ken is now at a distant fourth place with merely 8 supermajor victories, and the next best is Azen with half of that. The top 3 are clearly head and shoulders above the rest.

However, quantity can sometimes be a faulty measure, with several players being unable to attend majors due to distance, money, or other limiting factors. Looking at major winrate may provide a more accurate statistic. In this category, Hungrybox has been quickly closing the near insurmountable gap with Armada, bringing himself all the way to 34/95, or 35.79%. Cleanly passing by Ken in this regard, Hungrybox has now solidifed himself 2nd place for probably quite a long time. However, to beat Armada, he would need to win the next 5 majors in a row, which in addition to his Summit win would constitute his longest stretch of consecutive major wins ever. This seems unlikely, so this insane winrate of Armada, 38.89%, will likely last for a long time.

In Major appearances, the big story to me is Mew2King becoming the first player to ever surpass the triple digit barrier. Yes, with his late surge from Big House onward, Mew2King was able to make it to 102 majors in his long, illustrious career. Mango and Hungrybox are in a deadlock for second place, both at 95 each, with HugS barely edging out ChuDat by a mere one appearance this year to nab a distant fourth place with only 77. For Top 8s, though, it’s a different story, as Hungrybox surpasses Mew2King for the most at 94, dethroning M2K from his longstanding dominance in the category with only 89.

Now, since we have looked at tournament placings, it’s time to look at the 2019 MPGR and see our new Top 25!

Hungrybox Leffen Mango Axe Wizzrobe Zain aMSa Plup iBDW Mew2King S2J Fiction SFAT Moky n0ne Trif Captain Faceroll Swedish Delight Hax$ Lucky Ginger Spark ChuDat PewPewU lloD

The newcomers this year include Spark, Ginger, Captain Faceroll, Trif, Moky & iBDW. Spark and Ginger mark their Top 25 debuts, while Faceroll and Trif make their way into the Top 20. This year however, unlike last year, has 2 new faces in the Top 15. Moky squeaks his way in at the 14th position, while iBDW has surged onto the scene with a Top 10 ranking.

With this year, Mew2King marks his record 14th year in the Top 25, with all of those coming in the Top 10. However, this is also the lowest he has been ranked since 2005, his first year seriously competing, so it seems as if this record may be broken soon. The person who could do that? None other than Mango, who recorded his 13th year in the Top 25, and also his 12th year in the Top 5, surpassing Mew2King in this regard to take an insanely impressive record away. Hungrybox is just behind at 12 years in the Top 25, with 11 in both the Top 10 and Top 5, so he is also a threat. Speaking of Hungrybox, he now ties Armada in the impressive stat of 4 years atop the mountain as the best player in the world. However, once again, this stat is misleading, as his 2010 year is rather dubious, leaving him more at a 3.5, the same as Mango in a way. Armada sits atop the throne for now, but Hungrybox is right on his tail, as well as Mango.

Lower down, other impressive feats have occured, such as both Axe and Lucky joining the 10 year club for the Top 25. Axe also marked his first year in the Top 5, a monumental feat for himself in addition to the iconic Summit victory. Leffen marks his 4th year in the Top 5, surpassing ChuDat and PC Chris, while Plup gets his 5th year in the Top 10. SFAT, S2J and Hax$ all notable make it to 9 years in the Top 25, surpassing the vaunted legacy of Shroomed, who faltered to just barely within the Top 30 this year.

With the pure numbers out of the way, it’s time to address the insane moments of this past year. Some truly unfathomable results occured, to the point where I feel the need to list them in chronological order:

Hungrybox lost to Leffen and Wizzrobe, two players who were busy with Ultimate, at GOML 2019 to garner his first placing outside the Top 4 since The Big House 6.

Mango wins GOML 2019 in stunning fashion, breaking his longest standing drought of serious competing.

Drephen turns back the clock with his best performance since the days of Pound 3, and not only gets 9th place at Smash N Splash 5, but wins the three way tiebreaker for the final Summit spot as well, defying all expectations and nabbing the prestigious prize.

Wizzrobe takes home gold at Smash N Splash 5, becoming the first Falcon to win a Supermajor since Isai at MLG Los Angeles 2005.

iBDW, after going 0-3 in pools and losing Round 1 of winner’s bracket, goes on the run of a lifetime, taking out Mango, aMSa and Hungrybox (giving Hungrybox another non-Top 4 placing) and making his first Top 8 performance a memorable one.

This made the Top 4 of Smash Summit 8 the first Top 4 since MLG New York Playoffs 2006 to feature exactly zero of the original Five Gods.

With an incomprehensible Grand Finals of Axe vs. Wizzrobe, Axe won his first major of his whole career after 10 long years, and became the first Pikachu to ever win a major.

Albert stunned the world with one of the biggest upsets of all-time, defeating Hungrybox in a Best of 3, being told to play a Best of 5 despite it not supposed to be one, and winning that as well en route to his first Top 8 placing.

PudgyPanda sends Axe, who won his last major appearance, to the loser’s bracket at Super Smash Con 2019.

Leffen becomes the first player to double 3-0 Hungrybox in a single tourney since Colbol in 2014 with his emphatic victory at Super Smash Con 2019.

S2J, with a long bracket of impressive Foxes, stomps and knees his way to his first ever Grand Finals placing at Shine 2019.

Lucky faces off against and defeats a serious Mango for the first time ever at Mainstage 2019, sending him home at 13th place.

Mew2King returns after almost a year without competing, and edges it out over both iBDW and Hungrybox in a stunning Top 8 appearance at The Big House 9.

Fiction finally realizes his potential on a grand stage, defeating Wizzrobe, Plup, iBDW and Mew2King to make an astonishing 4th place finish.

Mango edges it out over Zain in an exciting, heartpounding Game 10 Grand Finals to win his 2nd Supermajor of the year, tying Armada and giving us another in his long list of classic moments.

n0ne does the unthinkable, and defeats Mango using Captain Falcon at EGLX 2019.

Hax$ finally, finally returns to form, defeating Hungrybox at Mango’s Birthday Bash and following it up with an inspirational performance at GENESIS 7, his best supermajor run of all-time.

Two incredible upsets occur, with Panda defeating Axe and Ryobeat taking down Wizzrobe.

Zain, following hardship after hardship throughout 2019, with several heartbreaking last hit defeats to several players, starts 2020 off with a bang with his first supermajor victory ever at GENESIS 7.

Leffen suffers a shocking 9th place at Smash Summit 9, losing to Zain, Mango & iBDW for his first non-Top 8 placing since his Lovage losing adventure at GTX 2017.

Plup, also with a year of hardship and slowly slipping away, has his best performance since The Big House 8, defeating Axe, Zain, Mango twice and even Hungrybox in a close 2nd place at Smash Summit 9.

This was all…a lot to take in, with plenty more I either failed to mention or just forgot about, and something I had to really look into as I was planning to make my new updated Top 50. That will be what ends this article today, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Armada Hungrybox Mango Ken Mew2King PPMD Leffen Azen ChuDat PC Chris Isai Plup Axe KoreanDJ Zain Wizzrobe CaptainJack Wobbles SFAT Shroomed Jman Chillin Westballz Hax$ S2J Lucky HugS KirbyKaze Zhu Amsah Fly Amanita aMSa PewPewU Drephen Darkrain Vidjogamer Sastopher Cort DaShizWiz DA Wes Silent Wolf Taj Kage NEO Lovage SilentSpectre Javi Masashi Bombsoldier Swedish Delight

Thank you all for reading and, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!