We are excited to premiere this summer’s edition of the SSBMRank, presented by this upcoming fall’s Red Bull Smash Gods and Gatekeepers event.

As a quick reminder, the SSBMRank panelists comprise of a large group of players, figureheads 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 CEO 2017), 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.

With roughly 40 panelists this year, we also decided to remove the lowest and highest ratings before taking the average in order to reduce the variance.

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 50: Chillin © Jeff Mahieu / @Delta52_

Rating: 37.60 | SSBMRank2016: 36

For newer players, Kashan “Chillin” Khan is likely one of the most recognizable personalities in the scene. Whether it is his storytelling in The Smash Bros documentary or his popular diss tracks, Chillin consistently produces content that adds irreplaceable value to the scene. Yet, long-time fans of Chillin know that he brings more to the table than just his rhymes.

In 2016, Chillin's SSBMRank saw a significant jump, and at the beginning of this year, he proved that he deserved it. He placed 33rd at Genesis 4, only dropping sets to higher ranked players Zhu and Professor Pro. Later on, Chillin performed on par at Dreamhack Austin (17th) and Royal Flush (33rd).

At this year's Smash 'N' Splash 3 his most recent North American major, he had his most impressive run yet. Echoing his HFLAN 2017 performance where he was upset in the second round, Chillin lost in the same round again to Shroomed. He then bulldozed through eight players in Loser's Bracket, taking out some very big names along the way in Trulliam, MacD, Nightmare and Dizzkidboogie. It was only Wizzrobe who, in a close five-game set, finally ended Chillin's rampage at 13th. With steady growth and unexpected peaks in the year's first half, will Chillin be able to keep putting on a show for the fans?

Written By: Marco Salazar | Edited By: Shirish Nene

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 49: Captain Faceroll © UCI eSports / @uciesports

Rating: 37.70 | SSBMRank2016: 45

Griffin “Captain Faceroll” Williams is widely admired for his strong work ethic, smart play, and systematic approach to improvement. Last year, these virtues propelled him from unranked to 45th in the world with wins over a number of top players along the way. He serves as a role model for many aspiring players, and has even produced a tutorial on improvement to help others follow in his footsteps.

Although Captain Faceroll has done well, his recent performances have not quite kept pace with previous expectations. He placed 49th at Genesis 4 and 17th at Full Bloom 3, but did not beat any higher ranked players along the way. He placed respectably at the locals he attended, took a set off of Hugs and has a strong record against Squid, but he has a poor record against ARMY and lost to quin, an Ice Climbers player from Chicago.

Nevertheless, his wins over SFAT, Westballz and PewPewU show that he is still undoubtedly a talented player and deserves his spot in the Top 50. Captain Faceroll’s challenge in the coming months will be to return to his rapid upward trajectory from last year. Given his legendary devotion to self-improvement, there is no doubt that he can make that happen.

Written By: Nick Messina | Edited By: Christian Fong

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 48: lloD © Jeff Mahieu / @Delta52_

Rating: 39.30 | SSBMRank2016: 54

Once dubbed by his brother as the best Peach in the Marth matchup, Arjun "lloD" Malhotra had a good start to 2017, holding strong records on in-region players like Junebug, Chillin and Zain. Though he hasn't traveled as much as many of his other MD/VA contemporaries, lloD has done extremely well at the tournaments he's entered out of region, making him more than just a hidden boss. At Smash Valley V, he defeated Duck and Abate en route to a solid fifth-place showing.

When lloD went to New York later in the year, he finished third at Apollo III and second at Nebulous Prime 80, adding yet another big name in Captain Smuckers to his list of wins. In case that wasn't enough, lloD also beat Android at Smash'n'Splash, while also nearly defeating Axe. Although it's difficult to guess where lloD's results put him on a national power ranking, all signs point toward "buy" on lloD's ever-rising stock.

Written By: Anokh Palakurthi | Edited By: Jake Payne

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 47: Kels © Ayub Arain / @avianmessiah

Rating: 40.10 | SSBMRank2016: 55

As the self-proclaimed King of Chicago, Kelly "Kels" Smith is one of the few top players remaining in the Midwest region. His Fox and Sheik strike fear into all local tournament-goers (and their wallets) within a 50-mile radius. If you have to play Kels at a major, you better believe he’s a threat to your bracket livelihood.

With an impressive placement of 25th at Genesis 4, taking out n0ne and Zain in the process, Kels looked poised to be a contender for a high position on this year’s SSBMRank. However, the rest of the year has been much quieter for Kels. While he still holds his throne in Chicago, he’s been challenged at a local level (albeit infrequently) by players such as Vro, Trix and DLA. In addition, his Top 100 wins outside of his Genesis run have been sparse, but include Rishi and Mango’s Falcon.

While 2017 has been good to Kels, there is always room for improvement. A string of 17th place losses at Smash 'N' Splash 3, Full Bloom 3 and Eden include nice wins but also an unranked (non-Top 100) loss. They (and some of his local losses) will probably reflect in his Summer 2017 SSBMRank, but keep in mind that Kels has the entire second half of the year to potentially climb even higher into the Top 50, so don’t count him out so soon. The King is here to stay.

Written By: Nick Messina | Edited By: Jake Payne

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 46: Mafia © Thomas Tischio / @tischphotos

Rating: 41.80 | SSBMRank2016: 50

After he appeared on Melee It On Me’s top 100 for his first time in 2015 and cracked its top 50 in 2016, the word “meteoric” would fittingly describe the rise of Boston’s hometown hero, James “Mafia” Lauerman . A longtime farmer of New England locals and regionals, the Peach main garnered significant notoriety when he was voted into Smash Summit 3 as a relatively unknown player to many casual Melee viewers. However, since bursting onto the national scene, Mafia has proven his mettle with victories in 2017 over players such as The Moon (against whom Mafia is now up 4-0 in the last two years) and SoCal legends HugS and Lucky, whom he defeated back-to-back while on his way to a stellar ninth-place finish at Royal Flush.

Mafia’s unique style of Peach is both flashy and effective. Self-described as a "rushdown Peach," his aggressive, balls-to-the-wall playstyle incorporates daring reads and liberal use of f-smash to overwhelm his opponents and tilt them toward defeat. But there’s more to Mafia than his amazing combo game; he has long been a community leader in his home state of Massachusetts and is famously welcoming to all players, both new and old.

There’s no bias to Mafia’s kindness — he’ll cheer for anybody from New England, whether they’re young or old, floaty or fastfaller, power ranked or pot filler. Mafia’s skill in doubles also merits attention, with his and Leffen’s team combo on SFAT at Smash Summit 3 heralded by many as the next coming of the Wombo Combo. After reviewing Mafia’s accomplishments, the opposition of many to his inclusion in Smash Summit 3 can only be characterized as ignorance. With Mafia’s stock rising and a bright future ahead, this dope Peach is clearly built to last.

Written By: Alex Lee | Edited By: Anthony Bruno

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 45: Santiago © UCI eSports / @uciesports

Rating: 42.30 | SSBMRank2016: 43

"Santiago" Piñon captures the attention and admiration of Melee fans with his tight neutral and explosive punish game with Falco. While 2017 hasn’t been the most active year of his career, the few tournaments Santiago did attend, Genesis 4 and Dreamhack Austin, were marked by impressive 25th placings and notable wins over Captain Faceroll, Syrox and Rudolph.

The story of Santiago is one of natural skill and a love-hate relationship with the game itself. While his performances are always accompanied by must-watch matches and high-energy play, Santiago's commitment to the Melee grind has always been flimsy to say the least. This began back when he first picked up the game competitively, switching mains throughout the vast majority of the cast before finally settling on Falco. From there, Santiago’s results began to speak for themselves. Throughout his career though, Santiago insisted that he never practiced, and eventually he announced his retirement from Smash in December of 2015.

However, after retracting his retirement announcement in 2016, Santiago has been snatching wins over some of the best. His attendance at Southern California locals has increased dramatically, netting him wins against top players like HugS, Squid and Lucky. If one thing is for sure, it's that Santiago has the natural talent needed to be a contender in Melee. The only question is whether or not it’s something he’s ready to commit to.

Written By: Michael Ashby | Edited By: Anthony Bruno

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 44: Amsah © @giorrie

Rating: 44.10 | SSBMRank2016: 58

More than a decade after his legendary comeback against fellow European player, EK, Asterion’s Amsah Augustuszoon still courts competitive Smash at a very high level. Part of Amsah’s legacy is that he was once viewed as the best player in all of European Melee until Armada usurped his crown.

In 2017, Amsah’s competitive drive continues to push his play across Europe and beyond. Amsah placed 17th at Don’t Park on the Grass, and 49th at Genesis 4, suffering combined losses to Nintendude, Tai, S2J and n0ne. Despite these early North American hurdles, it was his performances in Europe that really showcased his skill. At Beast 7 he lost a winner’s round 1 set to Leffen, and then proceeded to tear through losers (Baxon, Overtriforce, Professor Pro and Android) until finally being stopped by The Moon. At HFLAN in France, Amsah earned fourth place and was able to secure commanding victories over Zgetto, Chillindude and Professor Pro again.

With an elegant style that channels a bygone era when overwhelming 0-to-deaths were rare and players were forced to “play neutral” more often than now, Amsah is here to remind the modern meta that his precision and execution is still something to behold.

Written By: Marco Salazar | Edited By: Jake Payne

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 43: Trifasia © Trifasia / @TrifSmash

Rating: 44.60 | SSBMRank2016: 44

One of the two poster boys for Melee in Spain, Alvaro "Trifasia" Moral is a strong contender in the European competitive scene. After winning a year of sponsorship from The Contract, a special event at Heir 3, Trifasia began to travel to more events throughout Europe, causing word of his prowess with Peach to spread. His first and only appearance in a U.S. tournament this ranking period was at Don't Park on the Grass, where he fell just short of Top 8, finishing at ninth place with victories over Bladewise and Druggedfox. All of his following tournament appearances were in Europe.

At Beast 7, Trifasia finished at 13th place alongside fellow Spain top player Overtriforce. Months later, at HFLAN, he outshined his Spanish counterpart with a third-place finish behind ChuDat and Armada. Despite these placements, he is currently down in sets against the Spanish Sheik, making the decision on the No. 1 ranked player in Spain a difficult call. Although he is down in overall sets against top 50 players, Trifasia has tied records against Druggedfox, Professor Pro and Amsah. As 2017 comes to a close, Trifasia will undoubtedly look to improve these head-to-head placements and solidify his case for being the top player in Spain.

Written By: Pablo Montero | Edited By: Jonathan Miller

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 42: Prince Abu © eSport Gaming Events / @EGE_gg

Rating: 45.80 | SSBMRank2016: 42

It wasn't too long ago that Abhishek "Prince Abu" Prabhu was only known to the wider Smash community as a warm-up partner for players about to face Hungrybox. Now the world's number two Jigglypuff player is such a threat in his own right that people would do well to find a Jigglypuff warm-up partner before facing him.

Despite starting the year off with a weak 65th-place showing at Genesis 4, Prince Abu came back very strong at his next major in Full Bloom 3, upsetting S2J and taking Axe to Game 5 on his way to a 13th-place finish. Abu then traveled to Canada and double-eliminated HugS from Battle of BC 2, falling to KirbyKaze for an impressive fourthplace finish. Just a week later the two crossed paths again at Saints Gaming Live. This time, Abu was ready: He beat KirbyKaze twice in bracket, without dropping a single game.

With players like s0ft and Tekk fading into inactivity, Prince Abu and Hungrybox are currently the only people championing their character at the highest level and inspiring a new generation of Jigglypuffs.

Written By: Caspar van der Sman | Edited By: Jake Payne

SSBMRank: Summer 2017 No. 41: Zain © Jeff Mahieu / @Delta52_

Rating: 47.40 | SSBMRank2016: 66

“Zain” Naghmi has quickly climbed to the top level of play since joining the competitive scene in late 2015. While he began competing at majors as early as Pound 2016, Zain’s true national breakout came at The Big House 6 in late 2016, where he defeated KJH and Plup in order to secure a 17th-place finish. Zain has managed to sustain this considerable momentum and now threatens even the very best players.

In the first half of 2017, Zain was able to take sets off of numerous top players, including Squid, Prince Abu, Ryan Ford, Abate, Rishi, KJH and, most notably, Leffen. Despite his numerous impressive wins, Zain has yet to place higher than 13th at a major tournament. Though his commitment to his education has so far limited the amount of time he can dedicate to Melee, Zain hopes to make a greater name for himself this summer as he attends a variety of tournaments around the country. Zain’s main goals are to become more consistent in his playstyle and his placings, to find a sponsor, and ultimately to break into the Top 8 at a major.

Written By: Dylan Tate | Edited By: Christian Fong

Credits:

Head Editor and Statistician: Andrew “PracticalTAS” Nestico

Graphics: Nick “DarkDragoon” Konstantino