SSBMRank 2016: Day 8 © Melee It On Me

The list trims down to 30 today with established veterans, returning players and upcoming stars making it on today’s list.

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

Given the quality and quantity of work in 2016 (From Genesis 3 to Eden), 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." With over 50 panelists this year, we also decided to remove the two lowest and two highest ratings before taking the average in order to reduce the variance.

Rank 30: Wobbles © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 7.664

Last year’s rank: 32

Other placements:

4th: Battle of the 5 Gods, 5th: Low Tier City 4, 9th: PAX Arena, 9th: DreamHack Austin 2016

2016 has been a year of struggles and comebacks for fan-favorite player and commentator Robert "Wobbles" Wright . Having returned from a short retirement late last year, the high point of the Arizona native's 2016 was undoubtedly the Battle of the Five Gods invitational. There he upset Shroomed, Lucky, Silent Wolf, Plup and PPMD just to make it to Top 8, and then defeated Mew2King and Westballz in losers bracket to land a phenomenal fourth place finish. As we advance into 2017, keep an eye out for more head-turning performances from this wily veteran.

Written by: Michael Forde

Edited by: Noam Radcliffe

Rank 29: KirbyKaze © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 7.668

Last year’s rank: 27

Other placements:

4th: Canada Cup 2016, 1st: LAN WAR X. 13th: EGLX

Most people struggle coming out of retirement. David "KirbyKaze" MacDonald isn’t most people. He surprised even himself when he placed ninth at the Big House 6 after taking a yearlong hiatus, slapping down competitors including Zhu and Shroomed. He then showed the world that this was no fluke with a fourth place finish at Canada Cup, where he went on a tear in losers bracket, beating n0ne, Prince Abu and MacD. Watch out for KirbyKaze in 2017 — this sharp Sheik main has made it his goal to become the best in Canada again, and after that, the best in the world.

Written by: Matthew Moore

Edited by: Henry Fellner

Rank 28: MikeHaze © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 7.720

Last year's rank: 40

Other placements:

5th: Olympus, 17th: CEO 2016, 9th: Clutch City Clash, 1st: Super Smash Sundays 52

Former Brawl player Michael "MikeHaze" Pulido made his name as the highest ranked new inclusion for SSBMRank 2015, and his higher rank for this year shows he has no plans to slow down. His push to travel and attend more national tournaments has landed him some notable placings, including 33rd at The Big House 6 and 25th at both Genesis 3 and Evo 2016. Aside from wins on every SoCal threat, Mike has wins at nationals over the likes of The Moon, Druggedfox, Nintendude, Javi, Android and Lovage, and he capped the year off with a landmark win over Mango at UGC Smash Open.

Written by: Jack McDonald

Edited by: Matt Knudson

Rank 27: dizzkidboogie © Matt Seal/Juggleguy

Rating: 7.734

Last year's rank: 84

Other placements:

1st: Olympus, 2nd: Fight Pitt VI, 9th: CEO 2016, 9th: WTFox 2, 1st: Guaranteed Fresh 3, 13th: DreamHack Austin 2016

Moving up a massive 57 spots from his position on last year's SSBMRank, Kyle "dizzkidboogie" Athayde stands as one of 2016's most improved players. The NorCal native has seen plenty of success at majors this year: He boasts 17th place finishes at Shine 2016 and The Big House 6; he defeated Professor Pro, Lucky and The Moon to win Olympus; and he ended the year with a Top 8 placing at Don't Park on the Grass, where he took sets off Wizzrobe and n0ne. He's also garnered wins this year over MacD, Ryan Ford, Silent Wolf, S2J and Duck, showing that his intricate wobble setups are anything but easy to deal with.

Written by: Matt Deslatte

Edited by: Nick Buckman

Rank 26: MacD © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 7.822

Last year's rank: 15

Other placements:

2nd: Rubicon 7, 4th: EGLX, 4th: Dairly Beloved, 5th: Canada Cup 2016, 9th: DreamHack Austin 2016, 9th: Battle of the 5 Gods

McCain "MacD" Lavelle 's performance in 2016 may not have lived up to his expectations, but SoCal’s premier Peach player still boasted strong wins this year over Axe, Duck, SFAT and Professor Pro. He even slayed his second god, PPMD, in the Playoff Group at the Battle of the 5 Gods invitational. MacD also showcased his top-tier doubles skills, finishing Top 8 at Pound 2016, Super Smash Con 2016 and The Big House 6, all with different teammates. Hopefully last year's 15th-ranked Smasher can bounce back in 2017.

Written by: Nick Buckman

Edited by: Henry Fellner

Credits

Head Editor: Andrew "PracticalTAS" Nestico