SSBMRank 2016: Day 13 © Melee It On Me

The players from today's reveal have gone through quite the journey in 2016. One had ongoing visa issues, one overcame personal demons and the other made it into winners finals of a super major.

As a quick reminder, the SSBMRank panelists are comprised of a large group of players, figures 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 UGC Smash Open), 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 6: Plup © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Rating: 9.379

Last year's rank: 7

Other placements:

1st: Frame One, 1st: Come to Papa 2, 1st: The Smash House, 4th: CEO 2016, 5th: Smash Summit 2, 5th: Smash Summit 3, 5th: Battle of the Five Gods

Justin "Plup" McGrath was once called "the seventh god" by The Moon, and for good reason. The Florida Sheik main took down two gods at Evo 2016, knocking both Mango and Hungrybox into loser's bracket to finish third at the largest Melee tournament ever. The strong results didn't stop there: he placed Top 8 at Pound 2016, Shine 2016, Smash Summits 2 and 3 and Battle of the Five Gods.

Plup: Head-to-Head © Melee It On Me

Plup took sets this off of Mew2King, Shroomed, Swedish Delight and many more this year. He also dominated his local scene, winning Frame One with his tertiary Fox and defeating Wizzrobe, Axe and Colbol along the way. Heading into 2017, the rising star from Central Florida has only one more target on his hit list: Armada.

Written by: Anokh Palakurthi

Edited by: Henry Fellner & Noam Radcliffe

Rank 5: Leffen © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Rating: 9.576

Last year's rank: 3

Other placements:

1st: DreamHack Summer 2016, 2nd: B.E.A.S.T. 6, 3rd: DreamHackWinter 2016, 7th: Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, 7th: Heir 3, 9th: Smash Summit 3

It was the best of times and the worst of the times for William "Leffen" Hjelte . Despite visa issues restricting him from traveling to the United States for most of the year, Leffen proved that he's still an elite competitor. In a first for any player in Melee history during one of the most impressive tournament runs ever, Leffen defeated all four active gods in a row on his way to victory at GOML 2016.

Leffen: Head-to-Head © Melee It On Me

With his visa issues resolved, the Swedish Fox main now looks to solidify his place in Melee history and challenge for the No. 1 spot in 2017. Expect the legacy of Smash History's pick for eighth-best Melee player of all time to grow even larger next year.

Written by: Anokh Palakurthi

Edited by: Nick Buckman

Rank 4: Mew2King © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Rating: 9.643

Last year's rank: 5

Other placements:

1st: Apex 2016, 1st: Clutch City Clash, 1st: Shots Fired 2, 2nd: CEO 2016, 3rd: Smash Summit 2, 3rd: Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, 3rd: DreamHack Austin 2016, 3rd: Smash ‘N’ Splash 2, 3rd: WTFox2, 3rd: Canada Cup 2016, 3rd: Smash Summit 3, 5th: Pax Arena, 7th: Battle of the Five Gods

Some things never change. Along with winning Shine 2016 and Clutch City Clash, Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman is the only player to boast 3-0 victories against Armada, Hungrybox, Mango and Leffen in 2016. He also took sets from all four at UGC Smash Open, in what will be remembered as one of the greatest losers-bracket runs in Melee history.

Mew2King: Head-to-Head © Melee It On Me

Mew2King also has a nearly spotless doubles resume. He won every doubles tournament he entered with Armada, and even took Super Smash Con 2016 with Ice despite never having teamed with him before. If the Smash History articles are any indication, 2016 marks a decade for Mew2King's status as a Top 5 player and his 11th straight year in the top 10. With captivating highs in his gameplay, Mew2King has proven time and time again that if there's one constant in Melee, it's his ability to defy the odds when you least expect it.

Written by: Anokh Palakurthi

Edited by: Zach McCormick & Matt Deslatte

Credits

Head Editor: Andrew "PracticalTAS" Nestico