As a quick reminder, the SSBMRank panelists comprise a large group of players, figureheads, and community volunteers that rate the players. Voters rated players based on the following criterion:

Given the quality and quantity of work in late 2016 to 2017 (From Eden to CEO 2017), 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.” This was then rescaled to a 1-100 scale.

With roughly 40 panelists this year, we also decided to remove the lowest and highest ratings before taking the average in order to reduce the variance.

Wizzrobe isn't done his climb to glory quite yet © Jeff Mahieu/@Delta52_

Rating: 83.50 | SSBMRank2016: 12

When it comes to drastically improving as a player, not many people have risen to stardom like Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallet. Wizzrobe rose to prominence shortly after Hax, then considered the top Captain Falcon player in the world, declared the character unviable. His heavily optimized playstyle established him as the most promising member of the "20GX" movement that has revolutionized the way the character is played.

In just four years, the Florida Captain Falcon whiz kid went from placing 97th at Evo 2013 to having set wins over Hungrybox, Mew2King, ChuDat, SFAT and Druggedfox. Whether with his trademark zero-to-deaths off grabs, deadly crouch-cancel game, ruthlessly efficient edgeguards or calculated decision-making, Wizzrobe has become more than just a smash prodigy. He is solidly his character's top representative and the best-placing Captain Falcon since Isai, finishing second at stacked events like Smash Conference LXIX and Smash Rivalries.

It is rare for a player to soar to such commanding heights, but, as seen numerous times in Melee history, it's even more difficult to become a "god." In order to be considered anything more than just the new kid on the block, Wizzrobe will have to not only beat the likes of Mango and Leffen, but he'll also have to overcome vaunted Falcon slayers like Plup, Colbol and Westballz. That's not even going into the ultimate challenge for any player: defeating Armada. But with a new coach and analyst in his friend SleepyK, Wizzrobe looks more than ready to take on these challenges. By the end of 2017, we'll know if the Melee Mount Olympus has room for yet another player.

Written by: Anokh Palakurthi | Edited by: Christian Fong

This Pikachu main is coming for the Gods © © Robert Paul/@tempusrob / rmpaul.com

Rating: 83.50 | SSBMRank2016: 9

No player has taken a mediocre character as far as Jeffrey "Axe" Williamson has taken Pikachu. The only Pikachu main in the Top 100, Axe rarely gives up big upsets despite playing a relatively flawed character with many difficult matchups among the top tiers. He makes use of Pikachu’s limited tools to put together a devastating punish game to complement his aggressive playstyle. His status as a mid-tier hero and friendly personality make him a fan favorite who is hard to root against.

Axe has had a very consistent year thus far, with a loss to Android at Dreamhack Austin as the lone mark on an otherwise impressive record which includes numerous appearances in Top 8 including at Genesis 4 and being one of the few to claim wins on both Mango and Mew2King this year.

Select players have acted as road blocks for Axe this year. Top Fox players Leffen, SFAT and Druggedfox have learned to take advantage of Pikachu’s weaknesses and soften Axe’s potent punishes. SFAT and Axe have met in bracket seven times already this year, but after winning the first two games, Axe has lost the last five in a row. Meanwhile Axe’s struggles with players such as ChuDat and Duck have pushed him to try his secondaries, with little success. Even after a good performance, Axe feels as if he has not reached his full potential. He knows that with hard work he can get far enough to win tournaments,. It’s difficult to say if a character change is the right decision for Axe to break through his most challenging matchups or if all he really needs is to execute his secret strategy he developed for Hungrybox. That is, in his own words, to “try really hard.”

Written by: Aaron Frederick | Edited by: Henry Fellner

SFAT is a workhorse who's aiming for the top © Ayub Arain (@avianmessiah of @MeleeEveryday)

Rating: 85.20 | SSBMRank2016: 7

Ever since he left NorCal to take on a new challenge in SoCal, Zachary "SFAT" Cordoni has made it his mission not just to conquer the state of California, but the entire world of Melee. Early last year he began making fast improvements when after confessing his insecurities about his play to Armada he was told, “Nobody is way better than you, Zac,” an inspiring thing to be told by the best in the world. SFAT has tirelessly traveled this year, supplanting his MIOM portfolio with many strong placings at majors such as CEO Dreamland, Full Bloom 3 and Smash Rivalries. His Fox is becoming tighter and more effortlessly defined, putting fear into the hearts of Sheiks, Puffs and Marths from all over, and writing the blueprint for the modern Fox main. His win record vs. the Top 20 is doubly impressive, showcasing a 5-2 set count vs. Axe, 4-1 vs. his teammate PewPewU, 2-0 vs. Swedish Delight and one of the only players to feature wins against every Top 5 player except Armada and Mango this year.

His year in doubles started off strong at Don’t Park on the Grass, where him and his CLG teammate and best friend PewPewU defeated Leffen and Ice for first place. They have placed Top 4 at every event since, and are still one of the top teams in the world.

If there's one knock on SFAT, it's that he hasn't had the same consistency he possessed throughout the second half of 2016. 9ths at Genesis 4, BEAST 7 and Smash 'n' Splash 3, and a disappointing 17th at Royal Flush have halted the furious momentum displayed by a player looking to stake his claim as someone who could win any tournament he pleased. With Evo approaching rapidly, one has to watch SFAT to see if his training in the hyperbolic time chamber that is Southern California could propel him to a new height, permanently etching himself in the history books of Melee.

Written by: Eli Schoop | Edited by: Henry Fellner

Chudat's enjoyed an (ice) climb through the ranks © Thomas Tischio / @tischphotos

Rating: 86.00 | SSBMRank2016: 22

Often looked fondly upon as the greatest Ice Climbers player of all time, many believed Daniel "ChuDat" Rodriguez's best days were behind him. With good reason too, as he ended 2016 as 22nd in the world, with good but not incredibly noteworthy results. However, little did we know this man was going to make it feel like 2006 all over again. With consistent Top 8 placings at tournaments like Smash Summit Spring 2017, Yahoo Rivalries and most impressively a second place at Dreamhack Austin 2017, Chu has cemented himself as a Top 10 player once more. What is most impressive however is combined 6-1 record on Mango and Mew2King, something no "Non-God" has ever achieved on multiple Gods at once. Chu has also taken Hungrybox to the limit multiple times in the year, and has taken another game off of Armada's Peach. With positive records on players like SFAT & Axe, and even records against Wizzrobe and Shroomed, Chu has shown to be more than capable of competing with everybody at the top level. This amazing season was capped off with a win at Battle of BC 2, defeating Mew2King twice, including a 3-0 in Grand Finals. One can only imagine how far Chu will go by the end of the year, and if he could potentially reach the same heights he achieved a decade ago.

Written by: Michael Forde | Edited by: Henry Fellner

Plup has a character ocean at his disposal © Thomas Tischio/@tischphotos

Rating: 89.00 | SSBMRank2016: 6

After dazzling the world with his innovative Samus and Sheik play in 2016, Justin “Plup” McGrath mesmerized the majority of Melee fans and players alike by adopting Fox into his ever growing roster of characters. For Plup, 2017 has been a year of outstanding performances stamped with an unreal level of consistency. While his seemingly guaranteed fifth-place finishes have become a running joke of sorts, fifth at Dreamhack Winter, Genesis 4, Smash n’ Splash 3, Smash Summit are not to be taken lightly. As if his Fox, Samus and Sheik play wasn’t enough to keep the attention of viewers, Plup’s infamous all-Luigi performance at CEO Dreamland marked the highest placing the character has ever received at a major.

Plup’s unique style of play is characterized by intense speed, split-second decision-making and a brutally innovative punish game, all of these attributes mesh together to create a style that is both flashy and terrifyingly efficient. While there is still room for improvement against top players like Armada, Plup has proven that he can hold his own against players like Hungrybox, Mango and Mew2King. This sort of impressively consistent performance has earned Plup a gatekeeper status of sorts, which is to say that his level of skill marks the separation between top players and the growing players trying to reach new heights. All things considered, fans expect Plup to reach higher levels as he continues to improve his knowledge and skills as a player.

Written by: Michael Ashby | Edited by: Henry Fellner

Leffen has overcome the issues hindering his 2016 © Thomas Tischio/@tischphotos

Rating: 92.00 | SSBMRank2016: 5

After a difficult 2016 riddled with visa issues that hindered William “Leffen” Hjelte from attending big tournaments, Melee’s resident villain is back in 2017 to renew his claim as one of the best in the world. Despite a rough finish to 2016, Leffen is slowly returning to his form of consistency shown during the summer of Leffen. Despite some rough losses, like to Zain at Smash and Splash 3, Leffen has shown his improved mental fortitude as he went on an insane losers bracket run, finally picking up wins against Mango and Hungrybox. But most importantly, Leffen managed to overcome his biggest demon as he finally picked up a win against Armada, who has had Leffen’s number for numerous tournaments since Get on My Level 2016 last year. While Leffen is still looking for his first tournament win of 2017, his results have shown a slow return to the strong form he showed before the visa issues.

While his singles record has been decent thus far, Leffen has also proven his doubles prowess. With Mustafa “Ice” Akcakaya, they’ve solidified their spot as a top team in the world behind brothers Armada and Android with consistent second-place finishes, excluding a fifth place at Full Bloom 3. However, it should be noted that Leffen was playing as Marth in the sets he lost. Along with that, he has picked up a win at LanETS with David “KirbyKaze” MacDonald despite teaming for the first time.

Controversial, influential, a nuisance — Call Leffen whatever you want, but the world has been put on notice: Leffen is back, and he’s ready to take his place back on top.

Written by: Rui Yang Xu | Edited by: Henry Fellner

Mew2King will be looking to fix a few issues © © Robert Paul / @tempusrob / rmpaul.com

Rating: 93.70 | SSBMRank2016 : 4

Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman entered the year on a high note by placing in the Top 3 at the last five tournaments of 2016. With expectations high, he continued his streak with top 3 placings at tournaments like Smash Conference LXIX and Genesis 4. This string of results are indicative of Mew2King’s consistency, as apart from two tournaments (Smash Summit Spring 2017 and Smash Rivalries), he hasn’t placed below the Top 3 all year. His placements are buttressed by his continuing dominance against lower ranked players, including Plup, which allows him to breeze through the early stages of bracket. More importantly, he has held his own against the other “gods.” He is even in sets with Hungrybox, Leffen and Mango, and the only time he played against Armada, he took him to game 5.

While Mew2King has done phenomenally well, he still has important issues that prevent him from contending for the top spot. His reliance on Peach against the Ice Climbers came back to haunt him in his encounters with ChuDat. Due to major defeats at the hands of ChuDat, Mew2King lost out on possible tournament wins at DreamHack Austin and Battle of BC 2. Along with his continuing struggles against Ice Climbers, Mew2King has yet to pick up a win against n0ne despite his effectiveness in the Sheik versus Falcon matchup against the likes of Gahtzu, S2J and Wizzrobe.

Given his already solid performance against the other gods, Mew2King will be in a strong position if he can resolve these lingering issues. He seems to be on the right track. After his last defeat at the hand of ChuDat, he decided to abandon Peach and begin playing one of his mains against Ice Climbers. He has played countless hours against Wizzrobe, the top Captain Falcon main in the world. Given his dedication to finding a way to overcome these obstacles, expect Mew2King to close out the year in the same top form that he has displayed in the first half.

Written by: Rui Yang Xu | Edited by: Christian Fong

Never, ever underestimate Mango © Thomas Tischio/@tischphotos

Rating: 94.50 | SSBMRank2016: 3

While Joseph "Mango" Marquez's career as a whole is a wild ride with plenty of valleys and peaks, each year is a roller coaster in and of itself, with 2017 being no exception. His campaign started off mirroring his 2016 result of second place at Genesis then finishing in ninth place at Smash Summit Spring 2017 — his lowest placing at any Summit losing to three non-top six players — shooting down any parallels to his performance last year and laying out some of the themes (and opponents) that would be recurrent for him throughout the following events. His subsequent showings at FPS2, Smash Rivalries and Dreamhack Austin painted a gloomy picture for him when looked as isolated events, but together seemed even worse, indicating a roadblock had formed. However, the kid was not down for the count.

The difference between Mango's 2016 and 2017 is by no means a regressive one. In contrast to his negative record against Hungrybox in the first half of 2016, he is up 3-1 so far in this year and positive against the better part of the Top 50, only down to Plup, Axe and ChuDat, the player with the second most wins against him in 2017. Even with these difficulties, Cloud 9's prior investment with the addition of Coach Tafo has slowly been paying dividends, indicated by his resurgence at Royal Flush, his first major victory of the year, where he summoned the power of Mother’s Day Mango as he reset the bracket against Armada and took first place to lead into the summer. Future developments in competition will allow to see if this keeps up and if Mango is capable of overcoming the trials he's encountered so far. One thing's for certain, the golden rule still applies: Thou shalt not sleep on the kid.

Written by: Pablo Montero | Edited by: Henry Fellner

There's just one man in Hungrybox's way © Ayub Arain (@avianmessiah of @MeleeEveryday)

Rating: 97.50 | SSBMRank2016: 2

The number one player from North America, Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma continues to pound out strong results. He started the year off shaky, where after losing at Don’t Park on the Grass to Leffen, he injured his finger. This led to two consecutive fourth-place finishes, his worst placings of the year, at Genesis 4 and Smash Conference LXIX with losses to Mango, Wizzrobe and Mew2King. Many began to question if he still could perform as he had in the past two years, but he began to rollout wins stronger than ever, taking first place at Frame Perfect Series 2, Full Bloom 3, CT Gamercon and Smash Rivalries in four straight weekends. Since then, he has remained as consistent as ever, never placing outside of the Top 3 since Genesis 4.

In doubles, things have not been going quite as smoothly. Hungrybox is struggling to find a static teammate, as he has partnered with nine different players at nationals since Don’t Park on the Grass. While fans may be disappointed right now, this just shows he is experimenting, and most likely will come back stronger.

The only big roadblock left in his way is the same as last year: Adam “Armada” Lindgren. In 2015 and 2016, Hungrybox was ranked second to Armada, and seemed to barely come up short each time. However, recently Hungrybox triumphed at Smash N’ Splash 3, where he not only defeated his demon Armada, but also Mango and Leffen, marking his most impressive tournament win this year thus far. Last year at Evo 2016, his surprising and insane losers bracket run led to a thrilling Grand Finals reset which we all know the rest of. This year who knows what is in store for Team Liquid’s clutchest player?

Written by: Henry Fellner | Edited by: Shirish Nene

Congratulations to our No. 1 ranked player © Thomas Tischio / @tischphotos

Rating: 100 | SSBMRank2016: 1

Only one word can describe Adam “Armada” Lindgren’s 2017 campaign thus far: dominant. The Gothenburg resident’s oppressive neutral is matched only by his touch-of-death combo game, which surpasses that of any other Peach player in Melee’s history. Armada’s skill with his character is so great that if a newcomer to competitive Melee were to watch him play, they might be convinced that Peach is the best character in the game. Furthermore, his Fox has solidified its position alongside his Peach as one of Lindgren’s mains. In the past, Armada would pull out his Peach to close out sets where his Fox couldn’t do the job, but he can now confidently turn to Fox when his Peach is looking shaky, as seen in his set against Shroomed at Smash ‘n’ Splash 3.

It’s unfair to describe Armada’s singles success without highlighting his skill in Melee’s other competitive format, doubles. With his younger brother, Android — a high-level singles player in his own right — Armada has placed first in every single doubles tournament that he has entered this year with the exception of Dreamhack Austin. Team Alliance is notorious for their impeccable “UGS combos,” combinations so perfectly synchronized that they seem to be genetically programmed into the brothers’ brains — and they may very well be.

In the last year, Armada has achieved two incredible three-peats, winning Genesis 4 and Smash Summit 3 to solidify his dominance. If the Swedish Sniper stays on this course, 2017 may also mark another three-peat: an unprecedented third consecutive season as Melee’s year-end number one. Although Lindgren’s six-year victory streak over any player ranked outside the Top 5 has recently been tested in game-five thrillers versus S2J and Shroomed, he has exhibited remarkable nerve and emerged victorious from every trial. Despite his nine major tournament win streak finally coming to an end at Royal Flush, three things still feel quite certain: death, taxes and Armada in winner’s semis.

Written by: Alex Lee | Edited by: Henry Fellner

Credits

Head Editor and Statistician: Andrew “PracticalTAS” Nestico

Graphics: Nick “DarkDragoon” Konstantino