Introduction

The top 50 begins! After this extremely chaotic start to Ultimate, we’re finally starting to cut down to the biggest players the game has to offer. Still internationally varied, we’ll be looking at some of Europe’s elite, a supermajor winner, & much more.

#50 – Raffi-X

As we’ll see in Friday’s release of the 2019 region ranking, New England stacks up as one of the most powerful regions in the world. Despite a slow start at Frostbite, Raffi-X put up excellent runs at both SSC 2019 and Shine 2019 featuring significant wins on Dabuz & Dark Wizzy and litany of top 100 wins.

#49 – BestNess

The aptly-named Ness main breaks the top 50 as 2019’s most consistent Ness player. Set to retire after GENESIS 7, BestNess’s long list of top 100 wins puts him in a position to hopefully make his final Smash Ultimate run a memorable one, especially considering a large quantity of his best wins is in the western United States.

#48 – Elegant

Elegant making top 50 is quite impressive. Despite needing to relearn his character, he manages to be one of SoCal’s highest ranked players, setting a large quantity of wins that peaked in the summer with two back-to-back sets on Samsora at Low Tier City 7.

#47 – Sinji

One of Tristate’s best comes in at 47th, a benefactor of Pac Man’s buffs in Ultimate. Sinji’s play is best described as slow, methodical, and extremely patient, enabling him to deconstruct players over the course of lengthy sets. This skill has made him an extremely consistent player, rarely placing outside of top 32s, and usually carrying an impressive loss profile at events.

#46 – Kola

The first player on the list with an almost staggering top 100 record of 30-17, the Georgia Roy is currently the highest ranked in his state and one of the biggest Roy threats in the world. The territory comes with solid consistency and a large quantity of wins on Georgia alumni.

#45 – Big D

Big D was often touted as British Columbia’s best kept secret. While he rarely traveled in Smash 4, he was considered the best player in his region. In Ultimate, with PNW’s ascension, Big D has proven to be one of the world’s best character specialists. He is the sole Ice Climber main on the top 100, pushing the character’s meta and taking a myriad of important wins.

#44 – Kuro

Once a Pit main, Kuro’s decision to drop the character in favor of Zero Suit Samus seems to have been hugely beneficial. After picking up Zero Suit Samus and having a couple of events to adjust, Kuro rapidly became one of Japan’s most powerful threats. He sports a positive record against the top 20, and is the first supermajor winner on the list with his unexpected victory at Umebura SP 6.

#43 – Wishes

New Jersey has done incredibly well in Ultimate. Wishes – initially an Inkling player very early on – switched to Pokemon Trainer and had an abrupt breakout at Frostbite 2019. There, he beat players like Samsora, Fatality, & Tea. Later, he became more widely known after high profile sets against Marss & MKLeo.

#42 – Lea

One of Japan’s most consistent players, Lea initially made waves with a 9th at Frostbite 2019 after a shocker 3-0 win on VoiD. His attendance in the United States was spotty afterwards, but he continued to rack up numerous high placements & wins. To end the year, Lea ran an Olimar gauntlet that concluded with a victory over Dabuz, putting him in Top 8 of the year’s last supermajor.

#41 – Nicko

One of the biggest jumps from Smash 4 to Ultimate, Nicko has ascended to become SoCal’s top ranked player in-region and their second highest ranked plater globally. Another benefactor of Shulk’s improvements going into Ultimate, Nicko has built up two wins on Dabuz and several wins on fellow SoCal players. His performances peak at the Pacific Northwest major Port Priority 5, where he placed second to Salem.

#40 – Space

The first of three Dutch players in the top 40, Space proves that other top Inklings exist and are doing quite well. At Syndicate 2019, a Category 4+ major event, Space became well known after defeating both Glutonny and Kameme in a spectacular run ending in a placement of 3rd.

#39 – Mr. E

New York’s long time swordie specialist Mr E comes in at 39th, partly due to having possibly the best attendance record of any player in the top 150. This comes with a large collection of wins over time, peaking againsy players like Myran or fellow Tristate Bowser main LeoN. A myriad of Tristate wins certainly doesn’t hurt, considering the strength of the region.

#38 – Prodigy

The aptly named young NorCal Mario breaks into the top 100 this year, propelling NorCal and helping to keep the Mario metagame afloat. Starting hot with a 13th at GENESIS, Prodigy would go on to have a competitive record against the top 20 and a positive record against the top 100, ending the year out with a win on Stroder at the AZ superregional Super Ascension.

#37 – quiK

Germany’s best player and a longtime Smash veteran going all the way back to Brawl, quiK was among many players this year to show Samus is at her best in Ultimate. His first USA run at 2GG: Prime Saga saw an upset victory over Salem and a solid 17th finish. As the year continued, he kept racking up wins on top European players, and ended things with a win over top Japanese Sonic KEN at 2GG: Kongo Saga.

#36 – Gen

Tristate is home to many Palutena players, but Gen proves to be among the absolute elite. Highly consistent throughout the year, he’s garnered a near even record versus the top 100 and taken a handful of top 30 sets along the way. His peak placement at a major this year was at Defend the North, where he placed 4th.

#35 – Meru

In a huge swing from Smash 4, Meru’s most valuable trait in Ultimate is his steadfast consistency. In all of 2019, he hasn’t placed outside of the Top 12 once, and has racked up such a lengthy set of European wins that he was able to crack the top 40 without a single USA event on record. This set of wins naturally includes nearly every top European player, including Glutonny.

#34 – Goblin

CFL’s fire lord broke out at Frostbite 2019, taking a set off of future supermajor winner Kameme. This proved not to be a fluke, as Goblin would later build up a positive 2-0 record on Tweek as the year progressed, and additionally nab a win on Samsora. He is currently considered the best Roy main in the world.

#33 – T

After years of inconsistencies that could be sourced to his character’s lackluster nature, T finally had his year in 2019 with a new & improved Link. While losing some of Link’s X-factor with rage, T is no less clutch than he was in four, and is a master of Link’s direct attacks, preferring a more proactive style of play utilizing Neutral Air and Link’s powerful tilts.

These traits set him on a wonder run reminiscent of Civil War, where T beat Zackray, Gackt, and Dabuz to get into the top 8. While he placed 5th, he left his mark with a close set versus MKLeo.

#32 – Abadango

Abadango is known for piloting many characters, but Ultimate took this to a new extreme, seeing him manage to win superregionals like Just Roll With It! 11 with Inkling and later take an entire major like Umebura SP 4 utilizing Wario. While not at peaks seen in Smash 4, Abadango has shown himself to be a major wildcard at tournaments, capable of making major upsets on a dime.

#31 – yeti

One of the Midwest’s biggest threats in late Smash 4 returns in Ultimate. His supermajor debut at GENESIS 6 featured precise Leaf Blade usage, and despite a sick day hitch at Frostbite, he continued to remain a consistent presence throughout the year. At his peak, he’s traded sets with Maister.

#30 – Pandarian

The Pacific Northwest has gone far in 2019, managing to attain its very own major in Port Priority 5 after years of seeking one. Pandarian is currently the best solo Trainer player in the world, collecting a variety of wins & top placements, peaking with his win over Maister at Mainstage and wins over Sinji & ESAM at EVO 2019.

#29 – WaDi

MDVA’s crown jewel, WaDi, transitioned quite well into Ultimate. While Mewtwo saw immense nerfs, WaDi already played around with a secondary R.O.B. in Smash 4 and even started his career using the character. This made the transition into Ultimate relatively seamless, with WaDi consistently placing high at major events.

#28 – MVD

While many today know him for his Diddy Kong in Smash 4, MVD got his start in Brawl as a Snake main. With Diddy Kong nerfed and Snake returning, MVD went back to Snake and seems all the better for it, collecting a large quantity of top level wins in early-mid 2019 and coming in as one of most elite Snake players in the world.

#27 – Stroder

Stroder has one of the most varied character pools of any player on the top 100, but he’s probably best known for his Greninja – which defeated Tweek at Ultimate Nimbus – as well as his Roy, which defeated Samsora at Mainstage 2019. Currently the Southwest’s #1 player, he remains a big threat to look out for in 2020.

#26 – Mr.R

The top ranking Dutch player on the list manages to break the top 30. While having a chaotic & varied year, Mr. R remained consistent in Europe and his large list of characters have gone on to achieve a great many things, including a decisive run at EVO 2019 where he defeat T, Nairo, and Elegant. Most notably, he took a set off of MKLeo at 2GG: Prime Saga.