The third of five articles breaking down the Top 50 is here!

Information about OrionRank 2017 Late Summer can be found here for those who missed the announcement post.

Using data from very late December of 2016 to Shine 2017, we proudly present the Top 50! Let’s get into things.

#30 – ELEGANT

OrionRank 2016: 36th (+6)

SoCal’s Luigi breakout from Abadango Saga continues his reign as the undisputed best Luigi main at a time when Luigi is a rarely seen and underutilized character. Elegant’s sickeningly good combo game and total optimization of Luigi’s options make him a force to be reckoned with, and he has a number of set wins and close calls to prove just how dangerous he can be.

Known as one the better Bayo slayers, Elegant has defeated pretty much every top Bayonetta player he has met in bracket before. When seeded against players like Zack and Salem, this helps him climb to fight equally big if not bigger names in bracket, with some names on his resume including Tweek and Mr. R.

While he has the dreaded 17th curse often afflicting him, it hasn’t stopped him from making top 8 at the Category 5-ranked 2GGC: Nairo Saga.

#29 – ZINOTO

OrionRank 2016: 13th (-16)

Despite having more majors to attend, Zinoto has handled the increased attendance at events pretty well. He hasn’t placed as low as his 49th from EVO last year, and has been within striking distance of numerous top 8s, and otherwise does very well at the large regional Midwest Mayhem series.

With a win on Ally and Salem each, is there anything holding him back? Perhaps his record versus the top 10 isn’t as refined as it was last year, or perhaps he needs a CEO run again to restore full confidence. He may have fallen a tad, but he’s remained one of the best native Midwestern players and is generally considered to be the second best Diddy King main in the world.

#28 – SAMSORA

OrionRank 2016: 29th (+1)

In terms of positioning, Samsora may be one of the most consistent players in the world. Since his breakout at Clutch City Clash, he’s typically stayed consistently 20-30th, a range that’s otherwise highly volatile and changes from major to major. What’s his secret?

His crisp and technical Peach play, no doubt. It’s earned him a close set over ZeRo and a not-so-close set over VoiD, and he has a positive record on the Top 50 to show as the fruits (turnips?) of his labor. There are a couple of duds here (SSC and G4) but he otherwise does very well regardless of the tournament, often a hair or Meta Knight away from making Top 8.

#27 – KAMEME

OrionRank 2016: 14th (-13)

Kameme’s had some competitor pains this year, even on his good runs. MomoCon was Kameme’s only Top 8 appearance at a USA major since he was the runner up at EVO, leading some to believe his high placing was due people not being prepared for Mega Man.

While this point will inevitably be debated, his run at MomoCon and transition to using Sheik as a secondary can’t be ignored; neither can the various wins he’s acquired on to level players. As is typical for top Japanese players, he’s defeated most other top Japanese players, with a stunning upset on MKLeo to add to his resume on top of his Japan record and him finally conquering his Ally demon at Momocon.

#26 – TSU

OrionRank 2016: 68th (+42)

The most improved player on this list of ten, Tsu’s remarkable run at Frostbite will always be incredible, but it didn’t come without a lot of buildup that many simply hadn’t noticed. The most obvious signs came with his win over Mr. R at NicoNico Tokaigi just two weeks prior and his win at a highly stacked pre-Frostbite weekly.

The story of Tsu we’ve seen can be seen in his tournament history, with him using a character that may fully encapsulate the nature of Japan’s Smash 4 scene – maddening, mind boggling inconsistency, with incredibly high highs and very discomforting lows.

While his two tournaments after Frostbite are noted as very poor compared to the top level play seen at Frostbite, he’d later pick things back up with an impressive 13th at Civil War and good performances abroad and at home at events like Umebura 27th and 2GGC: ARMS Saga.

#25 – ANTI

OrionRank 2016: 11th (-14)

ANTi’s had a year of ups and downs. The first sign of trouble was likely at the Pro Exhibition at MIT, where he lost to Craftis and Raffi-x, with more signs of trouble at PAX East and Rise 2017, where he was sent home by Elegant.

Despite that and a few other disappointing outings that hold his ranking back, he’s shown serious signs of life at events like Greninja Saga, DreamHack Atlanta, and especially through his big win at Get On My Level 2017 over Larry Lurr.

This carries with it many successful set wins over the last including, including sets over VoiD and Mr. R to reinforce his status as a Sheik player, and another set win on his bracket rival ZeRo. While ANTi may have dropped from his ranking last year, it’s hard to say he sucks!

#24 – MANNY

OrionRank 2016: 35th (+11)

Manny’s unexpectedly high ranking can be attributed to many things, but his 11-14 record says at least something: He’s very good at beating top players, even if the discussion surround him is quiet. He’s remarkably consistent, and one of the biggest tools that helped him acquire 24th instead of, say, 26th, were his impressive regional performances in Florida.

At Divided, he defeated some of Florida’s best – DJ Jack, Dyr, MVD, and ESAM (twice) in very convincing fashion, taking both Winners Finals and Grand Finals in 3-0s, with another big regional win at Tampa Never Sleeps 7.

Beyond that, he had an impressive win over 9B at EVO, and a losers run that saw him taking down Elegant and Xzax that landed him in a quiet but impressive 13th.

#23 – RANAI

OrionRank 2016: 21st (-2)

Despite often being cited as a player who has significantly dropped off, Ranai remains a strongly consistent player. His peak seems to be much lower – perhaps due to the changing metagame – but he’s nonetheless been capable of easily besting foes such as Salem and Dabuz before, and managed to activate ZeRo’s defensive plot armor at EVO to narrow lose a close set in their first rematch.

Despite his struggles against DLC characters such as Mewtwo, Cloud, and Bayonetta, Ranai retains a total of 23 wins over the top 50. He’s gone from one of the rarest attendees to one of the most common attendees at majors, and while he hasn’t had a run like GENESIS 3, we know he’s certainly still capable of it.

#22 – Shuton

OrionRank 2016: 38th (+14)

Despite only attending 13 tournaments in a year where more than 13 majors have occurred, Shuton has amassed the best Top 10 record of any player thus far, at a positive 7-3 with an equally impressive 23-10 over the rest of the top 50.

The only thing holding Shuton back at this point is a stronger attendance record, as the bulk of his big-time tournaments took place within the first four months of the year with far more spaced out activity since.

Beyond his impressive wins over players like VoiD, Ally, and Dabuz, he defeated MKLeo twice at MSM 91 with the winner’s finals set notoriously ending with a monitor breaking over the excitement. Less noted – but still impressive in hindsight – is his 3-0 victory over Salem at Civil War, an occurrence that would be considered highly unusual if it happened today.

#21 – WADI

OrionRank 2016: 47th (+26)

Despite attending very little during the year outside of weeklies – 13 counted, similar to Shuton – WaDi takes control as arguably the best Mewtwo main the world and certainly MD/VA’s best player. While not having any wins on the top 10, he’s made explosive upsets on players like Mistake, Zack, and ESAM, with additional traction from his many close exchanges with Nairo.

At Super Smash Con 2017, the hometown hero came in fifth, taking out Mistake to get into Top 8 and ultimately only falling to MKLeo and Nairo – two of the highest ranked players in the world. For many, this solidified WaDi’s position as the best Mewtwo with Abadango’s performances waning and him transitioning to Bayonetta.

Whether or not you agree with that assessment, he’s undoubtedly a worthy Mewtwo, and has impressed on nearly every occasion, with a 49th at Civil War – still as good placement contextually – being his worst performance this year.

With that, WaDi rounds out today’s list! Stayed tune for tomorrow where we end the week on a cliffhanger with #20-#11!