We are excited to partner with Red Bull to present the 2017 end of year SSBMRank!

As a quick reminder, the SSBMRank panelists are comprised of a large group of players and community volunteers that rate the players. Voters rated players based on the following criterion:

Given the quality and quantity of work in late 2016 to 2017 (From Eden to Twitch Invitational: Holiday Bash), if everyone entered 100 tournaments, who on average would place the best?

Panelists voted on a 1-10 scale with the best player receiving a “10” and the worst player on the list receiving a "1." Ballots that were not scaled properly were rescaled using an algorithm to place the best player at a “10” and the worst player at a “1.” This was then rescaled to a 1-100 scale. To reduce the variance, the highest and lowest three scores were removed from the average.

SSBMRank No. 40: Santiago © @SantiagoSmash

Rating: 65.9 | SSBMRank2016: 43

Whether you know him as "El Fuego," "Papi Piñon," or simply "Santi," Santiago Piñon continued to turn heads over this past year. While it took a loss to the rising Bobby Frizz to heat up the San Diego native at Genesis 4, he tore through Rudolph, Captain Faceroll and Syrox to start the year with a bang. For most of the year, Santiago focused on completing his studies at UC Irvine, continuing his years-long reign of dominance over the powerhouse region. Those in the know could catch Santiago developing his absurdly aggressive Sheik and fan-favorite Falco on small Southern California streams, but after a no-show at Evo and a relatively tepid Gods & Gatekeepers performance, it seemed that he would once again be destined to spend the year as an extremely talented but relatively inactive "hidden boss."

However, as the summer ended, the newly graduated Santiago caught fire. Often touted as a legitimate threat to become one of SoCal's finest, he showed why by pushing SFAT, Westballz, HugS and Lucky past their limits at tournaments throughout the region, sporting a positive record over the latter three for the fall season. His best performance came at Pat's House 3. Using his Falco, Santiago torpedoed Bladewise, Lucky, Westballz and Syrox in a single run to claim a stunning fifth place on his home turf of San Diego. His unbelievable combo game and top-level competitive drive allow him to stay composed and delight his fans with stunning punishes at the most critical of moments. Previously considering retirement, Santiago's love for Melee has been rekindled -— expect his play to be even more fiery in 2018.

Written by: Jake "Chroma" Robins | Edited by: Jonah Fritz

SSBMRank No. 39: Amsah © @msealjr

Rating: 66 | SSBMRank2016: 58

Once considered the best player in all of Europe, Amsah Augustuszoon has experienced a resurgence this year. In January, Netherlands-based organization Asterion eSports signed him on as their first Melee player. Their sponsorship has allowed Amsah to travel to more events in 2017 than ever before. Having forged new skills in the flames of North American Melee, Amsah has leveled up, earning himself a truly impressive rank.

Amsah has maintained solid placements at every North American major that he traveled to this year, accruing wins over players like Ka-Master, AbsentPage, dizzkidboogie, KJH and Swedish Delight in the process. Furthermore, his results at European tournaments have remained very respectable: He boasts a 4-1 record over Professor Pro and has dispatched other European greats, including Overtriforce, Android and Trif, on his way to Top 8 placements at European majors. Within the Netherlands, his home region, Amsah continues to dominate, dropping only the occasional set to Zgetto.

At the age of 30, when others might consider slowing down or putting Melee on the backburner, Amsah has done the opposite, committing himself to improvement and travel in a bid to regain his former glory. And he’s succeeded— although he isn’t quite the best player in Europe yet, he has a strong case for fourth best on the continent this year, falling behind only Ice, Leffen and Armada. If Amsah’s next year is as strong as this one has been, he only stands to continue his gradual crawl up the rankings.

Written by: Alex Lee | Edited by: Nicole "Ibuprofen" Bennett

SSBMRank No. 38: Prince Abu © PrinceAbu

Rating: 66.4 | SSBMRank2016: 42

This was a good year for Abhishek “Prince Abu” Prabhu. Although his affinity for Jigglypuff’s green-headband-adorned costume might draw comparisons between him and Hungrybox, notably the only player currently beating him out for the title of premier Jigglypuff main in the world, the Midwest champion has shown over the years that he has a unique and powerful style of his own.

Although he wasn’t able to travel to many major tournaments this year, Prince Abu racked up impressive wins at the few that he did attend. At Full Bloom 3, he upset S2J and finished out the tournament at an undoubtedly respectable 13th place. He followed this up with a career-best performance at Evo 2017, where he exceeded expectations by making Top 12, defeating Plup in an impressive demonstration of his impeccable punish game — and strong mentality, having gotten four-stocked game one. His resumé also boasts an impressive 4-0 record over HugS this year, with victories over the Samus main at big events such as Don’t Park on the Grass, Battle of BC 2 and Evo 2017.

All that said, Prince Abu suffered a few valleys in his year of peaks: At Genesis 4, he suffered a loss to Zain, then on the come-up himself, and at The Big House 7, he was upset by Blea Gelo; he eventually finished both majors at a disappointing 65th place. However, the jolly Jigglypuff main’s highs served well to balance out his lows. This year, he’s proven with his outstanding performances and his willingness to push himself further than most could have predicted that, without a doubt, there’s room for more than one Jigglypuff at the table.

Written by: Alex Lee | Edited by: Nicole "Ibuprofen" Bennett

SSBMRank No. 37: Bladewise © @msealjr

Rating: 67.2 | SSBMRank2016: 39

The streak of Top 40 SSBMRank appearances continues for Teddy “Bladewise” Seybold, an impressive feat considering that he’s now happily married. It’s a hallmark of his consistency, but he’s frequently overshadowed by the perception of other Peaches, whether it was MacD a few years ago or lloD and Trif this year. Still, he’s maintained his status as a Top 5 Peach player.

Regardless of perception, he continues to churn steady results and still defends his home state whenever foreigners come to play in their regionals. He beat HugS and double eliminated S2J at Bridgetown Blitz for a first place finish, defending his turf from both out-of-region threats. While on the subject of Captain Falcon, Bladewise is incredibly tough to kill, popularizing the air-dodge out of down-throw to prevent Falcon’s knee from true comboing. With Silent Wolf taking a hiatus playing Melee extensively, Bladewise has taken over as the best player in Washington.

Written by: Daniel Lee | Edited by: Shirish Nene

SSBMRank No. 36: Rishi © @Delta52_

Rating: 68.4 | SSBMRank2016: 62

Over the last year and a half, Rishi Malhotra — the swordsman formerly known as “SmashG0D” — has quietly brooded over his heartbreaking game 3 loss to Armada at Evo 2016, in what would have otherwise been guaranteed to be the greatest upset of Melee’s modern era. He’s been playing competitively since middle school, but oddly enough, Rishi hadn’t really managed to get on anyone’s radars — his biggest claim to fame before that set was defeating Hungrybox in a set on netplay, then losing 3-1 to him in a grudge match held in his home region of MD/VA at Pound 2016 — until recently. Over the past year or so, Rishi, who has since moved to Tri-State, has quietly built up an impressive resumé that’s put him in an excellent position to skyrocket from fifteen minutes of fame to household name.

That said, he’s experienced quite a few ups and downs this year. Although he just narrowly placed out of Top 8 at Eden, his set wins over Ginger and Professor Pro are nothing to sniff at, and at the other majors he attended he amassed wins on notable players such as Blea Gelo, Kaeon, Nintendude and HomeMadeWaffles, but even then he’s still suffered a lot of respectable though disappointing losses early on in bracket that have seemingly stopped him from pushing himself as far as some of his fellow swordsmen looking to break into a higher level of play.

However, even if his performances at majors have been inconsistent, his performances at a local level tell a different story: in both MD/VA, where he resided for most of 2017, and in New York City, where he’s No. 6 on the power rankings, he’s proved ruthless, flashy and overall frighteningly dominant. He won the stacked MD/VA invitational in November, defeating Chillin, Redd, ChuDat, Zain and even his own brother and frequent doubles teammate lloD on his way to first place. His positive record on both his brother and Zain shows that, with enough time to become familiar with his opponents, Rishi can figure them out: Take for instance how Rishi made quick work of La Luna at the Holiday Bash Smash Invitational less than half a year after losing to him at Evo 2017. In closing, while Rishi hasn't quite yet had the breakout run at a national that some of his contemporaries have experienced, with a promising 2018 looming in the distance, it feels like only a matter of time before Rishi gets his big break — and, perhaps, even another shot at Armada.

Written by: Anokh Palakurthi | Edited by: Nicole "Ibuprofen" Bennett

SSBMRank No. 35: Nintendude © @msealjr

Rating: 70.7 | SSBMRank2016: 17

Michael “Nintendude” Brancato focused this year more on organizing events for Smash and other esports than improving as a player. That Nintendude is so reliably within the top echelon of players speaks volumes to his capabilities with a character that can so frequently lead to a high variance in results. The volatile nature of the Ice Climbers can make keeping a level head difficult, but Nintendude’s mentality is unshakable to a point that it’s assumed he’ll play to the height of his powers no matter the opponent or conditions. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on the biggest stage possible or at the Folsom Street Foundry with a legion of intoxicated viewers screaming behind him — Nintendude’s game plan stays solid.

That game plan is far more distinct than Nintendude’s detractors may give him credit for. Nintendude displays an aptitude for reading movement and punishing accordingly reminiscent of his predecessor ChuDat, but with a focus on efficiently converting those reads into a stock-ending grab. With smart, calculated play and a generous helping of bravery, it’s as common to see Nintendude extend a combo one hit further than expected with his solo Climber as it is to see him aggressively wavedash forward and make his opponent start the match with a one stock handicap. Beneath Nintendude’s demure exterior lies a confidence that motivates him to fight his opponent at all times without ever coming off as arrogance.

That playstyle has led to an impressive resume for Nintendude, who can be expected to make Top 32 at any event he’s present at. The only exception to that rule was at the beginning of the year with Genesis 4, where an early meeting with MikeHaze in losers bracket led to an uncharacteristic finish at 33rd. Other underperformances have typically been a byproduct of run-ins with players accustomed to fighting the Ice Climbers, such as his former MDVA brethren Milkman and Rishi. He’s also been unfortunate enough to run into s2j especially frequently, whose brutal aggression against Ice Climbers has proved too much to handle for Nintendude. But while Nintendude is lacking the top-level upsets that defined his 2016, he’s certainly proved a formidable opponent at high levels, adding such players as Duck, Lucky, Mike Haze and Ice to his hit-list.

Those last two wins secured Nintendude one of his two major Top 8 appearance this year at Royal Flush, the other coming at the relatively shallow Battle of BC 2. Don’t let that designation fool you, though: with a list of 13ths and 17ths to his name, Nintendude has proven his mettle time after time. But there was a time, not long ago, when Nintendude was the best Ice Climbers in the world. We’ll see if he can reclaim that title soon.

Written by: Zane "Epengu" Bhansali | Edited by: Nicole "Ibuprofen" Bennett

SSBMRank No. 34: KJH © @Delta52_

Rating: 71.2 | SSBMRank2016: 34

As players around him have seen their rankings change over the past year, Kalindi "KJH" Jabari Henderson managed to place 34th on SSBMRank for the second year in a row. On the surface, it may seem like KJH simply had a consistent enough year to maintain his ranking. However, a dive into his results this year shows that the Michigan Fox main’s year was a tale of two distinct periods.

KJH started his season off with a bang, winning the first iteration of the Apollo series from winners over Captain Smuckers, Duck and Swedish Delight. He followed up this monster performance with a stellar 13th at Genesis 4, where he defeated Gahtzu, Mike Haze, and Duck and a solid fourth at Smash Valley V, scoring wins over Captain Smuckers, Chillindude, Duck (a recurring theme) and lloD. With the addition of a seventh place at Full Bloom 3, where he beat Swedish Delight again, and a first place at Fight Pitt 7, where he double-eliminated Junebug, it is clear that KJH's first half of 2017 was nothing short of a colossal success.

As the year progressed, KJH saw his results regress. After placing 17th at Royal Flush, second at Combo Breaker 2017 and being ranked 27th on the Summer SSBMRank, it seemed like KJH was destined to continue his rise through the ranks. However, perhaps partially due to the weight of increased expectations, he experienced a trio of disappointing placements: 49th at Evo 2017, 33rd at Shine 2017 and 33rd at The Big House 7. He was able to regain some footing at at Canada Cup 2017, placing fifth, but had another pair of subpar finishes at Pat's House 3 and the Holiday Bash Invitational to close out his year.

There is no doubt that KJH has the talent and work ethic to take sets off of Melee’s biggest names. Going into the next year, he faces a simple question: Which version of KJH is going to emerge, the first or the second? If he can recreate and sustain the level of play he exhibited between January and June throughout the entirety of 2018, not even the sky is the limit.

Written by: Josh Fendrick | Edited by: Alex Lee

SSBMRank No. 33: Syrox © @tischphotos

Rating: 72.4 | SSBMRank2016: 67

The original netplay-warrior, Justin “Syrox” Burroughs, has certainly found his place amongst Melee’s upper faction. After wrapping up the year with a pristine performance at Eden 2016, Syrox continued to excite spectators throughout the following year with his ferocious fox. Syrox stressed the importance of having a confident mentality while competing, and he continuously showcased why throughout 2017.

While impressive tournament placings at Flatiron 2, Game Tyrant Expo 2017 and Pat’s House 3 may seem like defining points in Syrox’s year, game 5 sets with KJH, SFAT and Axe speak more to Syrox’s growth as a player. Not only did these sets show Syrox’s ability to compete with the best in the game, but they highlighted Syrox’s improved mental fortitude and ability to adapt under pressure. Even though he was not able to win all of his close sets, the grit that Syrox gained shined through during matches with many other players.

Set wins over ChuDat, n0ne, Swedish Delight, Crush, HugS, Lucky and a game taken over Hungrybox cemented Syrox’s potential to succeed. What once seemed like miraculous performances were turning into predictable upsets. The surprise and excitement from witnessing Syrox emerge as a top player disappeared and instead spectators learned more about one of their favorite players. The Melee community got the chance to see Syrox’s friendly and relaxed demeanor as they learned about the philosophy of one’s self. Moreso, Syrox showed his fans that maintaining a strong mentality turned unexpected losses to Ka-Master and Just Jason into learning experiences rather than career-defining moments. Given his highs, lows, netplay endeavors, and flashy tech skill, it is fair to say that Syrox had an excellent 2017. Knowing his eager nature, it is an understatement to say that there is definitely more to come.

Written by: Solomon "DiplomaticTucan" Fuller | Edited by: Jake "Jiggy" Coppola

SSBMRank No. 32: Ryan Ford © @msealjr

Rating: 73.1 | SSBMRank2016: 48

In a year in which the spotlight was centered on up-and-coming young blood, Earthroot Gaming's Ryan Ford was quietly playing some of the best Melee he’s played in years. Call it a veteran's unyielding dedication to the game or a symptom of never learning the phrase "give up," but Ford's stubborn style of play is infamous for snatching wins from the grips of defeat. Throw in his simple, yet overwhelming corner pressure, and you have a player who continues to be relevant in a rapidly evolving meta.

Reaching the respectable rank of 37th in the summer edition of SSBMRank, Ford charged into the second-half of the year with rousing victories against his Fox-playing peers. At Evo 2017, he exacted his revenge for an early-year loss at the hands of Mike Haze, taking a set off of the SoCal Fox. The following week, through sheer force of will and crafty play, Ford was able to reverse 3-0 one of 2017's rising stars, Crush, at DreamHack Atlanta. The week after that, he secured a 3-2 upset over Ice at Get On My Level 2017 — another instance of sweet vengeance for Ryan Ford, who had suffered a 3-2 loss to the German at Get On My Level 2016.

Not satisfied with just these wins, Ryan Ford spent October and November achieving some of the best results of his decade-long career. Notably, he defeated Axe at The Big House 7 and powered through to a first place finish at New Jersey’s RISE Melee Regional, taking sets off Hax, Slox and Ryobeat during a stellar run.

It's easy for this longtime veteran to fly under the radar, but if Ryan Ford continues to travel to events and play at his current level, Canada may have finally found yet another torchbearer.

Written by: Marco "Oats" Salazar de Leon | Edited by: Alex Lee

SSBMRank No. 31: Trif © @shadowthrust

Rating: 73.5 | SSBMRank2016: 44

From being an Heir to going Viral, this was a successful year for Alvaro "Trif" Garcia Moral, at home and abroad. During the first half of the ranking period, this Spanish Peach main made the most out of his Team Heir sponsorship, starting with a ninth place finish at Don't Park on the Grass, followed by a consistent streak of high placings in Europe, like third and fifth at HFLAN Melee Edition 2017 and DreamHack Summer 2017, respectively. After Heir 4 — where he got third behind S2J and Leffen — he transferred to Team Viral as the contract he had won a year earlier ended. Trif returned to the United States in the second half of the year for Shine 2017, running through Crunch, MacD, KirbyKaze and Redd to finish in 13th place.

Though Trif's results in America are noteworthy, it's his triumphs across the pond that truly show how much he has grown throughout the year. His placings at Europe's largest tournaments in the second half of the year emulate those of the first, with another third and fifth at Syndicate 2017 and DreamHack Winter 2017, respectively, accompanied by a streak of first places around the region, like at RAID in the UK, Awakening III in Germany and Austria's first national tournament, Melee @ VIECC. Previously tied records with players such as Amsah and Professor Pro turned in Trif’s favor, and wins over American and European heavy hitters such as ChuDat, Ice and Android strengthened his position as one of Europe's best players and as one of the top Peach mains in the world..

One of the biggest accomplishments for Trif this year was his newly-established position as Spain's best player, ushering in a new era of dominance in the country previously helmed by Overtriforce. Both players were neck and neck in results throughout much of this ranking period, but by the end of the year Trif managed to come ahead in the race. By outplacing his Team Viral teammate, Trif solidified a new status quo in his country, making the Spaniards leave aside the needles to now collect turnips. Fans of European competition should keep an eye out for this player in the next year and beyond.

Written by: Pablo Montero | Edited by: Dylan Tate

Credits

Graphics: Nick “DarkDragoon” Konstantino

Statistician: Andrew “PracticalTAS” Nestico