The first season has concluded following an incredibly successful release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

PGStats has compiled numerous brackets into an algorithm that empirically measures the strength of each player relative to each other. The X-Factor also makes a return with the same conventions as before with a positive score indicating public opinion is in favor of the player, while a negative score shows the opposite. For more information on the process, visit the FAQ .

With set counts and placements indexed into the database, the algorithm makes sense of 84 events that occurred this season and produced the Top 50 presented before you.

Welcome to the PGRU!

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 10: Light © Javier Leyvas (@Javileyvas)

Overall Score: 87.8

One of Ultimate’s most electrifying personalities and players, Rogue’s Light sits at the #10 spot on the PGRu after Season 1. Connecticut’s top player secured his spot as the best Fox in the game very early on, and his success snowballed as the season continued, taking sets off of his highly ranked peers and becoming a mainstay in the top cut of stacked brackets. His brash playstyle lends itself perfectly to the game, and will likely continue to lead him to the upper ends of the PGRU for many versions to come.

Light had grandiose expectations put on him coming into GENESIS 6 thanks to his performances during the preseason, and he delivered, finishing 5th overall whilst beating SDX, Dark Wizzy, CaptainZack, and ESAM. This was followed up with an equally impressive showing at Frostbite 2019, again placing 5th and notching wins over Suarez, Umeki, Wishes, and MVD. Light rectified his mistake of missing out of one of the final Ultimate Summit qualifying spots at G6, losing to Zackray in a tiebreaker set by winning Ultimate Nimbus after taking close sets over ESAM, Mr. R, and Salem, almost exactly a month to the day of G6. Strong performances and hefty wins continued into the Spring, posting 4th at Collision 2019, 5th at Suplex City, and even his best placement at a high-ranked event- 3rd at 2GG: Prime Saga. Even Light’s weaker performances were worthy of praise, such as his 17th at Pound 2019, tied for his worst placing in Season 1 along with CEO 2019, and his 13th at MomoCon 2019. He also narrowly missed Top 8 at Smash ‘N’ Splash 5 with 9th place to his name, but in that span of time he still managed wins on ZD, 8BitMan, Mr. E, Captain L, and Frozen; not to mention his work at lower tiered events, like 2nd at Overclocked Ultimate and 3rd at Smash at The Paramount.

All in all, Light turned in an expected yet very impressive Season 1. He has put himself squarely in the discussion of the game’s best players, and his final ranking on the PGRU is all the necessary proof he needs to validate his cause. Look out for what he has up his sleeve this upcoming season.

Written by: Dominique "Dom" Moore | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 9: VoiD © Nicholas Kauffman (@nkp_photography)

Overall Score: 88.6

Previously one of Smash Wii U’s star newcomers, James “VoiD” Makekau-Tyson enters Smash Ultimate as an esteemed veteran now with several years of experience under his belt. After defining a generation of Sheik play in Smash Wii U, the Haiwaiin native turned Southern California resident has transitioned to an even more offensive glass cannon style character in Smash Ultimate -- Pichu. Combining Pichu’s agile body and strong combo options with his own immensely innovative technical play style, VoiD was highly responsible for popularizing and molding Pichu’s meta in the early stages of Smash Ultimate.

Performing well under the brightest lights, VoiD’s best tournament results would come from the largest events of the season including a phenomenal 2nd place finish at the biggest event of the year to date -- Genesis 6. VoiD would then continue on to add a pair of 5th place finishes at the final two S-tier events of the season in Momocon 2019 and Smash N’ Splash 5. Outside of S-tier tournaments, VoiD would round out his Summer PGRU 2019 résumé with a 9th place finish at A-tier event Get On My Level 2019 and a 2nd place finish at C-tier event Kawaii Kon 2019.

Despite an extremely successful start to his Smash Ultimate career, VoiD will be entering the second PGRU season in a peculiar situation. After multiple balance changes to Pichu directly affecting Pichu’s high risk/high reward style of gameplay, VoiD has entered a soul searching phase to find a new character to either main or offset some of the extreme risk of playing Pichu. Regardless of whichever characters he decides to move on to, VoiD is still an amazingly talented player with a high in-game IQ that can be expected to continue to find success at the highest level.

Written by: Adam "Mayday" Braham | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 8: Nairo © Nicholas Kauffman (@nkp_photography)

Overall Score: 89.6

Content creator, entertainer, top player -- New Jersey’s Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada is one of the most multifaceted players in the Spring 2019 PGRU. As a player, Nairo has already reached legendary status among the Super Smash Bros. community landing as the top ranked player at the end of Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s mainstream lifespan and as the overall second ranked player for the entirety of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U’s lifespan in the PGR Top 100. As a content creator and entertainer, Nairo is one of the leading faces of the Smash community with his consistent live-streams that have garnered over ten million total views, thousands of regular viewers and a community that is highly supportive. On the back end, Nairo also operates a successful YouTube channel with over a hundred thousand subscribers and often collaborates with his esports organization -- NRG Esports -- for special appearances and added content.

Continuing to build upon his already esteemed résumé on the competitive side with new title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nairo’s strong performances at S-tier events Momocon 2019 and Frostbite 2019 - where he finished 5th place and 7th place respectively - have helped solidify his spot in the inaugural PGRU season. Well known for his explosive combo game, uncanny ability to extend combos and extensive ledge traps, Nairo features a highly flashy crowd-pleasing play style that is very unique to him. While finding most of his success with goddess character Palutena, Nairo also keeps an extreme variety of well-practiced characters that he can pull out at any given point in tournament play. Unfortunately that is also a point of contention for Nairo when running into matchups that Palutena potentially struggles with, potentially forcing him to choose between characters he has not tuned to the same degree.

Despite still searching for his first championship at a PGRU sanctioned tournament larger than a C-tier, the question at hand is seemingly more of a when rather than an if considering Nairo’s prestigious track record and already close calls in the Summer 2019 PGRU season.

Written by: Adam "Mayday" Braham | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 7: Dabuz © Francisco Suarez (@FL_Phyence)

Overall Score: 90.3

Long-time Super Smash Bros. series veteran Samuel “Dabuz” Buzby has always been a pillar of consistency in an ever changing landscape. While beginning with Super Smash Bros. Brawl -- where Dabuz would end the competitive lifespan of the title as a top 20 player -- it wouldn’t be until Super Smash Bros. for Wii U where the New York native would make his biggest impact. In Smash Wii U, Dabuz never fell outside of the top ten in any iteration of the PGR and would finish as the 4th highest ranked player across the titles four year lifespan in the PGR 100. Transitioning into new title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Dabuz would continue to thrive only placing outside of top 16 once for the entire Spring PGRU 2019 season. Dabuz’s marquee performance this season would derive from a fantastic 4th place finish at the premier tournament of the PGRU -- S-tier event GENESIS 6. He would also add several top five finishes to his Smash Ultimate career including a 5th place finish at S-tier tournament Smash N’ Splash 5, a 4th place finish at A-tier event CEO 2019 and a 2nd place finish at international A-tier event Albion 4.

After a few unideal changes to Rosalina from Smash Wii U to Smash Ultimate, Dabuz reunited with his old Brawl main Olimar in Smash Ultimate. With the added ability of applying more safe pressure by utilizing Olimar’s Pikmin, Dabuz can double down on his oppressive play style that centralizes on punishing opponents’ mistakes. Mixing his punitive gameplay with his high Smash IQ and well-studied gameplans, Dabuz becomes one of the hardest players for new up-and-coming players to deal with earning him a reputation as a gatekeeper at the highest level.

Proving that he can thrive even in the chaotic environment of a new Smash title, there’s no reason to believe Dabuz will slow down any time soon.

Written by: Adam "Mayday" Braham | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 6: Ally

Overall Score: 90.4

2GG Prime Saga: 5th

Battle of BC 3: 2nd

CEO 2019: 3rd

Frostbite 2019: 49th

Frozen Phoenix 2019: 1st

Genesis 6: 25th

Get On My Level 2019: 9th

LAN ETS 2019: 1st

MomoCon 2019 : 9th

Pound 2019: 1st

SMASH at The Paramount: 1st

Smash'N'Splash 5: 3rd

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 5: Shuton © Javier Leyvas (@Javileyvas)

Overall Score: 90.7

If there’s anyone who’s taken Ultimate’s mantra of levelling up everything about yourself to heart, it’s Shuton. Previously ranked 23rd on the all-time PGR for Smash Wii U, the Japanese veteran and his signature Olimar are at the best they’ve ever been with the #5 spot on the inaugural PGRU. Consistently performing great at both domestic and international tournaments with extremely high lows and highs has positioned him as not just the East’s top players but one of the world’s finest in general.

On Shuton’s best days, he’s a contender for the throne -- case in point being his championship run at Prime Saga, where he punched above his perceived weight and took down Zackray, Light and Nairo along the way. On his off days, he remains a top tier threat. In fact, his “worst” performance this season -- 13th at the S-Tier event Genesis -- is a finish many players in the top 50 and beyond would crave to have.

Shuton’s stability is not to be reckoned with. Considering that he’s beginning to travel abroad more often, you can count on him to make waves on any given event and day. With that in mind, it’s easy to see him remain a relevant force in the scene for years to come.

Written by: Justin "Popi" Banusing | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 4: Samsora © Nicholas Kauffman (@nkp_photography)

Overall Score: 91.9

If you were an outsider to the competitive Smash Bros. Ultimate scene, and only knew of Samsora through his social media antics that have endeared him to all that come in contact, you probably would never assume that he was one of the most lethal players on the planet. However, that’s exactly what he is and nothing less, reaching 4th on the 1st version of the PGRu. EUnited’s esteemed Peach main/stan stayed true to his character from Smash Wii U, rarely switching off of her unless it’s for her echo fighter, Daisy, and why would he? The results never warranted them, and probably won’t for a while at this rate.

Samsora began with an extremely stunning 3rd place at GENESIS 6 where he showed the devastation that Peach has to offer. Following with a 13th at Frostbite 2019, some began to doubt whether the southeastern Peach main could top 4 let alone top 8 another major. Well, as the story goes, a 4th at MomoCon 2019 and a 2nd at Smash ‘N’ Splash 5 would serve as evidence that Samsora is not to be taken lightly. In terms of the A-Tier events, single digit placements dot his history with a 4th at Pound 2019, 5th at GOML 2019, and a pair of 9th at both Prime Saga and CEO 2019.

Samsora made it to an impressive count of eleven events throughout the season, bringing along his colorful personality and his lethal Peach game. As the 4th most accomplished player this season, however, it won’t be enough for Samsora as he has his eyes set on 1st this next season and, perhaps, with a new character, a new Hero to show the world.

Written by: Dominique "Dom" Moore | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 3: Marss © Nicholas Kauffman(@nkp_photography)

Overall Score: 92.5

Very few players on the planet can say that they have the upper hand on Marss after Season 1’s conclusion. His comparatively slow start to the year was quickly forgotten after he set off a spectacular string of performances during the warm months, elevating him to the #3 spot on the PGRU. Although this feat was accomplished primarily with his signature character in Zero Suit Samus, Marss has strong secondaries to accompany her, such as Ike, Mega Man, and Captain Falcon; all of which helped play a part in his final ranking once the results were compiled. During Marss’ hot streak, many people started to bring into question whether or not Marss could end up as one of Ultimate’s best players sometime down the line, if not the outright #1. If his showing as of late is any indicator, it is safe to say that the opportunity is there, waiting to be taken.

On the big stage is where Marss shines brightest and with the aforementioned mild start at the beginning of the season, he left his mark in the minds of spectators by the time the season had concluded. Peaking with 2nd place at both GOML 2019 and CEO 2019, Marss raised entire crowds to their feet as he danced around opponents and stopped at nothing to secure stocks, often taking himself out to do so. The key do-or-die placements for Marss’ season, however, center around 3rd at Momocon 2019 and 4th at Smash ‘N’ Splash 5, the latter being the second highest rated S-Tier event this season. Securing sets over top rated players such as Dabuz, Light, Nairo, Samsora, and VoiD puts Marss in a threatening spot regardless of his next ranking which, considering his momentum now, could only land him once again at the top.

Written by: Dominique "Dom" Moore | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 2: Tweek © Javier Leyvas (@Javileyvas)

Overall Score: 95.2

After what felt like an eternity of climbing to the top in Smash Wii U, Tweek started off Smash Ultimate with a goal that was clear to all, both explicitly and implicitly: be the best. Peaking at #2 on the PGRU, it’s clear that many steps in the right direction were taken in order to realize this goal. Very few blemishes on his tournament resume, wins on almost all of the game’s fiercest players, and a bevvy of characters at his disposal show just how far Tweek has gotten in such a short amount of time, and we can only assume that he will go much further next season and beyond.

Tweek is on the very short list of players who were able to take home the gold at a major this season, let alone doing it twice. 1st at both Frostbite 2019 and GOML 2019 gave credence to the then popular argument of who was best in the world.

At Frostbite, Tweek barrelled through the competition, all the while switching characters to keep himself in check with the meta and his opponents. There, he defeated Ryuga, Light, Cosmos, and won two extremely valuable sets over the illustrious MKLeo. Meanwhile, his path to victory at GOML involved wins over Samsora and two from Marss.

Other points in Tweek’s season were met with reluctance as he juggled various playstyles and characters all the while keeping his Wario in tow. With the release of Joker towards the end, it seemed that Tweek was considering the character and his potential, but ultimately after being absent from the season finale in North America, CEO 2019, it’s safe to say that Tweek likely has something in store for us at EVO 2019 and the rest of the summer majors that we will be seeing for the first time.

Written by: Dominique "Dom" Moore | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Spring #PGRU2019 No. 1: MKLeo © Li Hoang (@Helloitsli)

Overall Score: 100

What does it take to be a legend? For some, it’s reaching peaks others simply can’t. For others, it’s being on the very top of your field for an extended duration of time. For those preferring the theatrical, it’s about having a story that people will remember. Coming in at #1 on the inaugural PGRU and winning three of this season’s five supermajors, it’s safe to say that MKLeo is a legend in his own right.

Ending Smash Wii U as the third-best player in the game’s history despite a late international debut, MKLeo’s mission heading into Ultimate was simple: be the very best. And what other way to do that than to make an unforgettable first impression?

The Mexican wunderkind started the season off strong in February with a victory at Genesis 6 -- Ultimate’s very first major -- in Oakland, positioning himself as the player to beat. Others in MKLeo’s place would have mayb struggled to stay on top given all that attention, but he instead took it in stride and brought his tournament portfolio to even greater heights. In the following months, he took home first at Smash ‘N’ Splash 5, MomoCon, and CEO 2019 among others and racked up a positive win record on virtually every player in the top 50 along the way. While minor flukes along the way like a 33rd place finish at Umebura Japan Major show that it wasn’t exactly the smoothest ride, no other player can match him in pound-for-pound results.

Boasting in his arsenal what is undeniably the strongest Joker in the world and the ability to seemingly pick up any character in due time if need be, it’s hard to imagine a second season without MKLeo competing at the top level -- extenuating circumstances aside. While we can’t be 100% sure that his success will continue throughout the rest of the year, what he’s accomplished already in such a short amount of time is a feat in and of itself.

Written by: Justin "Popi" Banusing | Edited by: Luis “suar” Suarez

Administrative Team:

PGstats Director: Luis “suar” Suarez

Statistician: Andrew “PracticalTAS” Nestico

Kud - Videographer & Graphic Designer