Hello, all! As with the first four months of 2017, Freezie & I are here to present another iteration of OrionRank! In this iteration, we will be ranking the top players based on set histories and performances from very late December 2016 to Shine 2017, meaning we’re using 8 months. This is not a seasonal snapshot. Rather, it takes the year so far into account.

After 2016’s flaws, we fixed many of the problems with OrionRank 2016 in the 2017 iteration through a number of significant changes to the methodology. This time around, the changes are far more minor from the early 2017 iteration, as we feel that the bulk of the issues have been resolved.

Here we go!

METHODOLOGY

Here is a direct link to the methodology used.

We made a couple of modifications to the formula used, but the changes made are largely the same. The main thing that will be discussed in the future is the average placement numbers that used to determine how much a player is worth during the scoring, since this has led to some inconsistencies in an upset-filled year.

QUALIFIED PLAYERS & TOURNAMENTS

A full list of both can be found here.

There are currently approximately 284 players qualified for OrionRank 2017, meaning we have a very extensive series of set histories to draw from for our data.

RELEASE SCHEDULE

50-41 – Tuesday, September 5th

40-31 – Wednesday, September 6th

30-21 – Thursday, September 7th

20-11 – Friday, September 8th

10-1 – Monday, September 11th

Without further ado…

HONORABLE MENTIONS

55th: LUHTIE

Andrew “Luhtie” Lataille

Region: Southwest

Main: Zero Suit Samus

Sponsor: Free Agent

Rank: 55 th

OrionRank 2016 Rank: N/A (NEW)

Despite major set wins at Rise 2017 against Elegant and Tyrant, nobody expected Luhtie’s massive win against ZeRo during Civil War. He is one of the few new entrants onto OrionRank between 2016 and 2017, with consistently decent performances at majors to back his big start-up at Rise.

While he hasn’t yet reached a win similar to his massive upset on ZeRo, he remains a prominent Zero Suit Samus main and nearly breaks the Top 50 worldwide with his accomplishments.

54th: NIETONO

Yuta “Nietono” Uejima

Region: Kanto

Main: Sheik

Sponsor: Detonation Gaming (DNG)

Rank: 54 th

OrionRank 2016 Rank: 23rd (-31)

While Nietono put up one of the most impressive runs of his career at Umebura Japan Major, taking down Ranai, komorikiri, and Kameme, his relatively quiet year leads him to decline to 54th. Despite that, his switch from Diddy Kong to Sheik has proven very beneficial and has re-jumpstarted his meta relevance after a late 2016/early 2017 decline.

53rd: Cosmos

Brian “Cosmos” Kalu

Region: Midwest

Main: Corrin

Sponsor: Free Agent

Rank: 53 rd

OrionRank 2016 Rank: 72nd (+19)

While Cosmos made great strides in 2016 with his win over Zinoto at The Big House 6, he really came out to play in 2017 with Top 12 placements at category 4 & 5 tournaments and a consistent stream of Top 48 & 32 placements at other tournaments.

His immaculate Corrin play has helped fully realize the results of a character that was seen as stagnant for many months. The Corrin pioneer recently moved from Texas to Ohio, meaning he’s now tangling with one of the best regions worldwide. Between this and his frequent online play, he has all the tools he needs to rise further.

52nd: FOW

Freddie “FOW” Omar Williams

Region: Southwest

Main: Ness

Sponsor: Free Agent

Rank: 52 nd

OrionRank 2016 Rank: 88th (+36)

Despite attending only 5 tournaments this year, FOW narrowly makes the honorable mentions through consistent placings at major events and a particularly strong run at 2GGC: Nairo Saga. While the Ness meta has declined from 2016, FOW’s increased attendance bumps him significantly from his 2016 ranking.

51st: DYR

Aaron “dyr” Wilhite

Region: Florida

Main: Diddy Kong

Sponsor: Free Agent

Rank: 51 st

OrionRank 2016 Rank: 43rd (-8)

Only slightly declining from his 2016 ranking, dyr has continued to maintain his position as one of the best Diddy Kong players in the world. While players on a yearly ranking may sometimes sit in higher positions due to early year performances, dyr managed to take Mr. R to game 5 at Super Smash Con – nearly putting himself in Top 8 – a ultimately placed 9th at the event.