We’ve reached the halfway mark! The ranking will be breaking for GENESIS 5 weekend and after this article it will resume on Monday with #50-#41. Until then, let’s finish the first half off!

More Information: https://intheloop837.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/orionrank-2017-top-100-announcement-information-methodology-101/

Written by Barnard’s Loop

Illustrations by Freeziebeatz

Ranking work by Freeziebeatz & Barnard’s Loop

#60 – Konga

2016 Rank: N/A (NEW)

Washington’s best player broke into the forefront this year after PAX West, where he defeated both MKLeo and ANTi in bracket. Prior to this, he had managed a significant upset on VoiD at EVO, but his following wins on VoiD & Tweek in the Pools stage of PAX West were not counted.

Nonetheless, he’s generally agreed to be the second best DK in the world, acting as the US’s answer to HIKARU. Whenever Konga is in bracket, you must expect the high potential for an upset.

#59 – Eon

2016 Rank: N/A (NEW)

After placing 3rd at the 2016 event 2GG Breakthrough, Eon established himself as one of the few from the Top 8 at that particular event who would rise up to become among SoCal’s best.

Starting in 2017, he upset both komorikiri and 6WX at GENESIS Saga, and has since been relatively consistent in his top 48 record across major events. He has solid wins coming at events like EVO where he eliminated EVO Runner-Up Kameme and a 3-0 victory over Elegant at Fire Emblem Saga.

#58 – Nietono

2016 Rank: 23rd (-35)

Shifting between Sheik and Diddy Kong, Kanto’s long time veteran has defeated the bulk of Japan’s best players and has a knack for consistently placing well on the rare occasions he visits the U.S.

#57 – k9sbruce

2016 Rank: 26th (-31)

A Diddy/Sheik co-main, SoCal’s aspiring top tier player has garnered a large number of sets during 2017, starting with a victory over Marss at GENESIS Saga that would mark a greater national role in events for the player.

He repeated this at MKLeo Saga, also taking down Shuton, Mr. E, and Captain Zack in what would end up as K9’s best run to close out the year.

#56 – IxisNaugus

2016 Rank: 66th (+10)

Europe’s 3rd highest ranked player on this list, the United Kingdom’s top player made a big impression at EVO 2017 when he managed to double eliminate ESAM and place 33rd at the event.

As with most high level European players, Ixis also carries a respectable record against players in his part of the world, with especially significant wins over both cyve and Glutonny.

#55 – dyr

2016 Rank: 43rd (-12)

Despite a more mixed year than 2016, dyr has shown to be an occasional huge threat to the game’s upper echelon, taking out Abadango at SSC and ultimately placing 9th. While he didn’t quite win his 5 game his set vs. Mr. R at that event, he would later take a bigger prize – clutching out an intense 5 game set versus Salem at Too Hot to Handle.

#54 – DarkShad

2016 Rank: 54th (No change)

As with most notable Ryu players, DarkShad had a year of highs and lows, bottoming out early in the year at events like Frostbite and Midwest Mayhem Saga before going to make greater runs towards the end of the year at SSC and – most notably of all – a massive, unprecedented run at GameTyrant Expo.

Taking out Locus, ZeRo, MVD, and Nairo, DarkShad seemed to break Locus’ run at Civil War as the best run a Ryu accomplished in tournament. While DarkShad didn’t manage to peak as consistently at Locus across the year, his memorable run at GTX and his sturdy win record against the Top 20 demonstrate he’s always in the argument for being the best Ryu.

#53 – Earth

2016 Rank: 24th (-29)

Japan’s neutral god struggled to maintain his heights from 2016, but his frequent attendance in Japan and his move to Kanto have helped garner wins on pretty much all of Japan’s most relevant players.

He notably has begun to play Dark Pit for certain match-ups and co-mains Corrin with his Pit Duo, marking a decline in Pit’s meta for the year as his best main has begun to seek other avenues to combat some of Pit’s particularly hard match-ups.

#52 – HIKARU

2016 Rank: 102nd (+50)

Currently the highest ranked solo Donkey Kong player, HIKARU proved his potential at Civil War where he made top 8 by defeating VoiD, tsu, ESAM, and Mr. R in one lengthy bracket run, only finally broken down by a Rosalina bracket.

His travel to the U.S. has been limited since, but he notably took out 2 Foxes- Xzax and Charliedaking – as well as AC at MKLeo Saga, only losing to the #1 and #2 seeds of the event.

With a 3-1 record on 9B and a solid Fox record, HIKARU has helped break down some of DK’s more difficult match-ups, further indicating his mastery of the character.

#51 – Zenyou

2016 Rank: 57th (+6)

Zenyou’s deep combo knowledge of Mario served him very well this year, making him one of the most recognizable players with inventive, frequently twitch clipped combos that often result in spectacular KOs.

Outside of a stumbling at GENESIS 4, Zenyou is one of SoCal’s most consistent players, frequently breaking into Top 32s and Top 24s. Some of his most notable wins came out of the 2GG events, such as his victory over ESAM in pools at GENESIS Saga and his solid 3-0 over Abadango at SCR Saga.