Welcome to the eighth of ten articles for OrionRank 2017! I’ll be detailing the Top 100 player-by-player.

More Information: https://intheloop837.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/orionrank-2017-top-100-announcement-information-methodology-101/

Written by Barnard’s Loop

Illustrations by Freeziebeatz

Ranking work by Freeziebeatz & Barnard’s Loop

#30 – Ranai

2016 Rank: 21st (-9)

Japan’s wildcard Villager went from a rare sight at events to one of the most traveled among Japanese players in the first half of 2017. In turn, his results saw something of a sharp decline compared to him being considered a significant tournament threat in 2016.

This hasn’t hindered his ability to make significant upsets in bracket. He had dominant 3-0s over Salem and Dabuz at FPS2 and CEO respectively and very nearly defeated ZeRo in bracket during their second encounter at EVO.

He remains, far and beyond, the best Villager on the planet. His attendance declined in mid-late 2017, so we may be seeing another period of hiatus similar to 2016.

#29 – Cosmos

2016 Rank: 72nd (+43)

A Texas native that moved to Ohio, Cosmos has established himself as one of the Midwest’s top threats. He has helped increase perceptions of Corrin by using her to significant success throughout the year, including a peak 3rd at The Big House 7 where he defeated ZeRo, VoiD, and Salem in bracket.

His wins over Salem and Captain Zack, as well as a definitive 3-0 record over JK, has also helped establish Cosmos as a bit of a Bayonetta slayer in tournament.

#28 – Choco

2016 Rank: 105th (+77)

Choco has long been one of Kanto’s top players, his but sparse attendance made this difficult to truly quantify. As of 2017, however, Choco has attended a large quantity of Japanese events that has helped establish himself as a ranked player in most regards solely for his performances in Japan.

This is marked by a consistent top 3 record at large regional events in Japan and good placements at both of Japan’s large scale events- Umebura Japan Major and Umebura TAT.

As of now, Choco is ranked second in his home country, and many believe he could go as far as top ten worldwide if he were to travel to American major events. It’s hard to know until he does it – so here’s hoping to see him travel abroad this year!

#27 – 9B

2014 Rank: 44th (+17)

Formerly a Kansai player, the now-Kanto Bayonetta player is the best of his kind in Japan. Unlike 2016 where he struggled to find his place in the game for months in the post-nerf meta, 9B went on a rampage through early 2017, placing 13th at two of the largest majors of the year.

Despite not having a presence in the metagame during the last third of 2017, his consistent top 8 and top 3 placements all throughout Japan established 9B as a top 30 player – possibly better – when active.

#26 – Zinoto

2016 Rank: 13th (-13)

As of 2018, Zinoto would be able to make his claim as the highest ranked Diddy. For 2017’s ranking, he stays at #2, albeit he drops several spots due to lacking a performance quite as strong as his famous run at CEO 2016.

Despite lacking that huge run, his major record this year is a bit more consistent. He has placed 9th and 13th at a number of major events and is a reliably consistent top 32 threat at events, while maintaining himself as a tournament threat at the super regional Midwest Mayhem series.

#25 – ANTi

2016 Rank: 11th (-14)

Tristate’s #3 player for 2017, ANTi continued to place relatively well at events despite lacking in major wins.

A consistent top 32 threat, ANTi defeated longtime rival ZeRo at Greninja Saga, won Get on My Level over Larry Lurr & Mistake, and remains one of the most consistent anti-Sheik players in the world with clean records over Mr. R and VoiD.

#24 – Samsora

2016 Rank: 29th (+5)

Louisiana making waves was unexpected in the absence of Brawl veteran Lee Martin, but 2016 saw signs of the state being a significant threat in the future. 2017 continued to fulfill this, half through Samsora, half through Captain Zack.

Samsora, the world’s best Peach, has continued and improved from 2016 in a year that’s much easier to get lost in between breakouts and hidden bosses. Despite some occasional poor placements, Samsora regularly places top 12 at events and has a solid number of top 8s at majors.

He defeated ZeRo at DreamHack Atlanta and carries a dominant record over Captain Zack, showing improvement and resilience that leads him to an increase in rank from 2016. Will he continue to climb and capitalize on his late 2017 performances? Only time will tell, but his improvements this years tells us he has the technical prowess to move himself and his Peach into the top 20.

#23 – Mistake

2016 Rank: N/A (NEW)

Mistake is one of 2017’s biggest success stories in Smash 4. Going from an unknown Ontario ZSS to one of the most recognized players in the world, Mistake showed signs of positive movement at the national level at a few pre-EVO events before fully breaking out by defeating both Kirihara and Fatality.

While he followed this upset at GOML by putting Larry Lurr into losers, it was at Low Tier City 5 where he defeated ZeRo in Winners Quarters that people began to really pay attention to his growth as a player. This would continue to accelerate at SCR Saga, Super Smash Con, and Shine, where he continued to take major sets and place very highly.

While his 2017 wane may be something left in a mirror after last weekend, late 2017 marked a decline, resulting in a lower placement due to a number of sub-top 16 placements at major events during the fall alongside no presence at the 2GG Championship.

#22 – Shuton

2016 Rank: 38th (+16)

Kyushu’s best player by a wide margin, Shuton’s travels in the U.S. proved substantially beneficial to Olimar’s image in the metagame. Shuton has a positive record against both the Top 100 and Top 50, one of the few at this stage to manage such a feat, and he has set wins on a majority of 2017’s top 10.

#21 – Kirihara

2016 Rank: N/A (Hidden Boss)

Ending today with a major event winner, Kirihara is notable for many things. He is the second best Rosalina, he is the only player in the world with a positive record on ZeRo, he is the first Japanese player to win a U.S. major since Abadango at Pound, and his Rosalina style is marked by key aggression.

The last factor is one that likely helped him win his set versus ZeRo during winner’s finals at Frame Perfect Series 2, where he bounced from a huge deficit.

Outside of a blunder at EVO, Kirihara remains one of the most consistent players in the world, with a significant set record that includes most of Japan’s relevant players and a chunk of the top 10.