SSBMRank 2016: Day 11 © Melee It On Me

The list today features players that made a big jump in 2016.

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 15: Duck © Matt Seal/Juggleguy

Rating: 8.586

Last year's rank: 22

Other placements:

1st: Show Me Your Moves 17, 5th: EGLX, 7th: Smash Summit 3, 7th: WTFox 2, 3rd: Fight Pitt VI, 2nd: Dairly Beloved, 2nd: Endgame

James "Duck" Ma is one of the last top players carrying the torch for Samus in today’s spacie-focused metagame. Ever since Plup turned to Sheik, the weight has been on Duck’s shoulders to prove that the armored bounty hunter has it in her to stake a claim for best in the world, and he's worked diligently to achieve that goal. This year, Michigan's top-ranked player has earned wins over Leffen, SFAT, Westballz and just about every other top spacie. As an edgeguarding master and Fox slayer, Duck has found a comfortable position in the Melee landscape, and he seems poised to take himself to new heights in 2017.

Written by: Noam Radcliffe

Edited by: Matt Knutson

Rank 14: PewPewU © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 8.607

Last year's rank: 14

Other placements:

1st: SSS: Blood For Blood, 9th: CEO 2016, 12th: Battle of the 5 Gods

The ninth-place curse is over for Kevin "PewPewU" Toy . After years of finishing just outside Top 8 at majors, the best Marth on the West Coast eliminated The Moon, Colbol and Shroomed to finish seventh at Evo 2016. He pulled off a similar losers bracket run at The Big House 6, defeating Zhu, Bladewise, Chillindude and Silent Wolf for another seventh place result. He scored his biggest tournament win of the year at SSS: Blood for Blood, and he staked his claim as one of the best doubles players in the world with wins at GOML 2016, Evo 2016, The Big House 6 and UGC Smash Open alongside his teammate and best friend, SFAT.

Written by: Nick Buckman

Edited by: Henry Fellner

Rank 13: Ice © Matt Seal/Juggleguy

Rating: 8.812

Last year's rank: 17

Other placements:

5th: Clutch City Clash, 1st: Kickstart 11, 2nd: Eclipse 2, 2nd: DreamHack Summer 2016, 1st: Kickstart 12, 7th: DreamHack Winter 2016

Mustafa "Ice" Akcakaya has been a Top 20 player for years, but seemed to have plateaued just below Melee's highest echelon — until now. The top-ranked player in Germany started the year with a fantastic showing at Genesis 3, defeating Plup and Colbol to make Top 8. He then took sets off Silent Wolf and SFAT to finish a phenomenal third at The Big House 6, and followed that performance up with a stunning double elimination of Leffen at Eclipse 2, where he placed second. With the support of his new team, Ice only looks poised to continue his ascent in 2017.

Written by: Martin Gale

Edited by: Noam Radcliffe

Rank 12: Wizzrobe © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 8.820

Last year's rank: 23

Other placements: 7th: CEO 2016, 4th: WTFox 2, 3rd: Low Tier City 4, 5th: PAX Arena, 5th: DreamHack Winter 2016, 4th: DreamHack Austin 2016, 7th: Smash N' Splash 2

The Captain Falcons came out in full force in 2016, none more so than Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallett . Wizzrobe, the premier member of the 20GX movement, has focused on optimized punishes, reaction techchases and a strong macro game as the cornerstones of his play. These culminated in three high-water marks for the Florida Falcon this year: His fourth place finish at Dreamhack Austin 2016, the best ever by a Falcon at a tournament featuring three Gods; his stunning 3-0 upset over Hungrybox at WTFox 2; and his losers bracket run at The Big House 6, where he defeated HugS, Druggedfox, ChuDat, Duck and KirbyKaze to make Top 8.

Written by: Josh Kassel

Edited by: Noam Radcliffe

Rank 11: Swedish Delight © Thomas Tischio

Rating: 8.878

Last year's rank: 31

Other placements:

2nd: Smash N' Splash 2, 9th: CEO 2016, 2nd: Rise of the Empire, 2nd: Super Nebulous 4, 1st: New Jersey Quarterly Rapport

James "Swedish Delight" Liu , the number one active player in all of Tristate, has had an incredibly successful 2016. He exhibited top-notch consistency this year, placing 13th or better at every tournament he entered since February, and he's taken big names along the way including Axe, Nintendude, PewPewU, Shroomed and Westballz. Perhaps his best showing was at Smash 'N' Splash 2, where he double-eliminated Mew2King in Sheik dittos to finish second. He's also no slouch in doubles — with Slox, he eliminated the team of Axe and Hungrybox to place third at Genesis 3. Ending the ranking period with a strong Top 8 finish at UGC Smash Open, this med student seems to be headed nowhere but up going into the new year.

Written by: Henry Fellner