PGStats has compiled numerous brackets into an algorithm that empirically measures the strength of each player relative to each other. The X-Factor also makes a return with a new notation with a positive score indicating public opinion is in favor of the player, while a negative score shows the opposite. For more information on the process, visit the FAQ .

With set counts and placements indexed into the database, the algorithm makes sense of 81 events that occurred this season and produced the Top 50 presented before you.

Welcome to the PGRU!

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 50: Ron © Darimoko (@darimoko)

Overall Score: 50.0

Hailing from Japan and documenting strong wins and placings throughout the season at all notable events he attended, Ron earns himself a #50 spot on the PGRU. Ron’s Yoshi and Mario have engineered victories over some of the best talent Japan has to offer, including T, Tsu, Shuton and Rizeasu.

With a statement third place finish at Sumabato SP 6 and rounding out the season with a strong Top 8 placing at Umebura SP 6, Ron has shown a propensity for overcoming difficult challenges at all points during brackets and looks primed for even greater heights in 2020.

Written by: Pete “Diesel” Casella | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 49: Big D © Bekah Wong (@ALonelyChime)

Overall Score: 50.7

The Ice Climbers pioneer of the Great White North, Dawson “CAW | Big D” Perron makes his PGR debut this season at #49. Although this is his first breakthrough onto the global stage, Big D has been a persistent threat throughout the lifespan of multiple games -— having spent nearly the entirety of the past decade at the top in his home region of British Columbia, Canada.

After experimenting early on in Smash Ultimate with his Smash Wii U characters, Mario, King Dedede and Captain Falcon, he seems to have found his footing with the Ice Climbers -— the pair that first saw him rise to the top of his region in Brawl. Utilizing their full arsenal of advanced techniques and desync combos, Big D has taken the duo to new heights this season by obtaining a number of impressive wins and placements. Among these are some respectable S-Tier tournament finishes of 17th at Mainstage and 25th at Kongo Saga. At these events, he picked up wins over the likes of Zackray, BestNess, DarkWizzy, Pandarian and Goblin.

With Big D traveling to more events and proving he’s able to compete at the top level -— and with a character whose metagame is constantly evolving -— it’ll be exciting to see if he can continue to climb moving forward.

Written by: Trevor “Kantrip” Lukan | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 48: Kirihara © Bekah Wong (@ALonelyChime)

Overall Score: 50.9

A methodical Rosalina genius from Japan, Noriyuki “Kirihara” Kirihara is a player who picked up steam in Smash Wii U with all-time ranking was 28th. He came out of Ultimate’s first season unranked due to a lack of attendance and drastic changes to his main, but a sudden burst of event runs throughout fall resulted in him coming back to the spotlight.

Unlike many others, Kirihara’s results this season are exclusively from Japan. At Umebura SP 5, he placed 4th and took wins off of the ranked likes of ProtoBanham and Nietono. On top of that, he has a juicy win over Lea from Umebura SP 4.

Season 3 is looking bright for Kirihara, as he just placed first at 2020’s first large-scale Japanese tournament in the form of the 256-entrant Maesuma TOP. Winning that tournament over names like Kome, Hikaru, Shogun, Ron, and Takera puts him in a favorable position to climb even higher next season.

Written by: Thwack | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 47: Riddles © AthletesGG (@AthletesGG)

Overall Score: 51.0

Michael “Riddles” Kim is Ontario, Canada’s very own wunderkind. At 16, he’s one of the youngest players on the PGRU -— coming in at #47. He’s almost an Ultimate kid on the surface, but his dynamic style has made it so that he can take set wins off of even the most seasoned Brawl veterans.

Riddles peaked at Super Smash Con 2019, where he beat Dabuz and almost beat MKLeo on his road to place 13th. He’s also had a nice plateau, having never placed anywhere below 33rd throughout Smash Ultimate’s competitive lifespan. He did this all while learning four characters, namely Simon, Ken, Terry and Joker -— showing just how versatile he is.

Though he doesn’t have the wins to be in the Top 20, he’s on the come up. Anyone sleeping on this Canadian teenager is making a mistake.

Written by: Austin “Plyff” Ryan | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 46: Kola © Kenneth Rodriguez (@XenosMcCloud)

Overall Score : 51.6

East Coast Roy and Cloud dual main Kolawole “Kola” Aideyan, has been making waves in the smash community. His high placings at tournaments like The Big House 9 and Super Smash Con 2019 where he placed 9th and 13th respectively showed that he can scrap with the best of the best. Formerly known as “SaltOne”, lightning fast reaction times and lifesaving DI helped Kola work his way through multiple tournaments and allowed him to take names off top players like Zinoto, WaDi and LingLing.

Written by: Colton “Coltor” Costopoulos | Edited by : Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 45: Rfang © Kenneth Rodriguez (@XenosMcCloud)

Overall Score: 51.7

Randy “OES | RFang” Fang, the #1 player in South Carolina, makes his PGR debut at #45. He recently came into the national spotlight after he was voted into Smash Ultimate Summit 2, thanks in part to a friend of his who ate a cockroach live on stream. However, RFang quickly proved to be more than a meme pick.

The next weekend, he placed 7th at The Big House 9, defeating Pandarian, Trela, Light and WaDi on his way to Championship Sunday. He also boasts wins over the likes of LeoN, Jakal, Wishes and more, proving that he is a national-level threat in his own right.

Written by: Dylan “Dilly-Jo” Tate | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 44: Mr.R © Kenneth Rodriguez (@XenosMcCloud)

Overall Score: 52.0

The posterboy of the Dutch scene, Ramin “BC | Mr. R” Delshad remains one of Europe’s best players in Smash Ultimate but has yet to match his highs from previous titles in the series. Whereas Mr. R was a perennial top 10 threat throughout Smash Wii U’s competitive lifespan, a lack of success at international majors this season means he’ll have to settle for the #44 spot on this PGRU.

That being said, Mr. R is still a solid player overall. His Snake and Chrom are among the best in the world, with sets over Nairo and T being proof of that. And though finishing 128th at Super Smash Con 2019 is far from ideal for a top player, 5th and 13th place finishes at Smash Factor 8 and EVO 2019 show what he’s capable of on a good day.

If Mr. R can produce more Smash Factor and EVO-like runs throughout the 2020 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rise up the ranks once more.

Written by: Justin "Popi" Banusing | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 43: BestNess © Armada (@ArmadaGG)

Overall Score: 52.8

Indisputably the best player in Utah, Spencer “AR | BestNess” Garner has long made his presence felt nationally as one of the best Ness players in the world -— both in Smash Wii U and Smash Ultimate. The latter half of 2019 was a breakout of sorts for him, seeing soar him soar to new heights to land him a PGR spot.

BestNess had a triumphant Summer of Smash that had him take 9th at Low Tier City 7 and 17th at S-tier events Super Smash Con 2019 and Shine 2019. At these events, he was able to score wins over Light, Lui$, Raito, Leffen and Yeti. He then followed this up over the Fall by taking 2nd at Super Smashed Fest, 9th at Port Priority 5 and 5th at 2GG: Nightmare on Smashville -— accruing wins on Dark Wizzy, Goblin, Larry Lurr, Prodigy and Jakal in the process.

Though BestNess is set to retire after Genesis 7, his mark on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s competitive scene has already been left.

Written by: Stuart “Stuart98” Hepworth | Edited by : Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 42: Goblin © Markym Fox (@SpectreFG)

Overall Score: 53.0

Ranked 4th in Central Florida, Alexi “APE | Goblin” Stennett is the sole rep of his region on the PGRU and the best Roy in the world.

Goblin began Fall Season with a couple of stumbles, the most notable of which being a 129th place finish at Super Smash Con 2019. He would eventually show sparks of brilliance in the waning months of the year with 7th and 13th place finishes at Dreamhack Atlanta and Kongo Saga respectively, garnering wins over the likes of Tweek, Samsora and Kuro.

This season was not the best for Goblin, and a demotion to #42 on the PGRU from his previous ranking of #39 is reflective of that. Nonetheless, his recent showings are proof that there is still a lot of fire within him -— fire that he can come back with in 2020.

Written by: José “Toon” Laguna | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Fall #PGRU2019 No. 41: HIKARU © Alain Rodriguez (@HotNRedy_)

Overall Score: 53.5

One of the most prolific and versatile players in Japan, Eita “8LX | Hikaru” Hoshi was one of the many players to pick up Pokémon Trainer in Season 2. He utilized the character to the tune of twin 17th place finishes at Evo 2019 and SwitchFest, all the while keeping his original main of Donkey Kong in his back pocket. In addition, wins over Japanese titans such as Zackray, Umeki and Kameme prove that he continues to be a genuine force in his home region.

Written by: Michael “Ginsync” Kelly | Edited by: Justin “Popi” Banusing

Administrative Team:

PGstats Director: Luis “suar” Suarez

Statistician: Andrew “PracticalTAS” Nestico

Videographer & Graphic Designer: Kud

Article Editor: Justin “Popi” Banusing