Introduction

It’s the last day of the countdown! Big surprises are normal for this ranking, but things simmer down late into the top 10. Until then, we’re seeing the great expanse of players who managed to be the truly elite during one the game’s hardest years.

Without further ado, for for the last time…

#25 – Shuton

Change from 2017: -3

Kyushu’s greatest ever player and the father of Olimar gameplay, Shuton maintained his 2017-level performances with continued solid runs at United States events. Once again, he struck a 1-1 record versus Dabuz, and even nabbed a win on Light.

Beyond strong performances in North America, Shuton (like other Japanese players) has a large quantity of strong in-region performances that pushed him further as one of Japan’s absolute elite.

#24 – ESAM

Change from 2017: -9

ESAM’s record of being the best Pikachu continued into the final year. Priding himself on his ability to fight Bayonetta, ESAM indeed is very proficient at the match-up – most notably carrying a definitive 4-0 record over Mistake, one of this year’s best players.

Beyond that, he’s appeared in the Top 8s of 4 major level events, and only missed the Top 16 twice – at Smash Con and CEO. This persistence in top 16 placements put him in a position to take out numerous top level contenders to add to his record.

#23 – Mr. R

Change from 2017: -14

Mr. R is arguably the most consistent player in Smash 4’s history. He very notably has never lost a European tournament to European smashers, only Smashdown World to Kameme and Komorikiri, his Sheik has lost very few if any sets on the continent since 2016, and he has never placed below 17th at events.

Despite lacking major wins in his career or peaking as consistently as similarly consistent players like ZeRo or Dabuz, Mr. R is iron in his grip over the game. Transitioning from pre-patch to post-patch Sheik, Mr. R went on to have one of the best neutral games of any player.

In 2018, Mr. R’s reduced activity put his ranking on a bit of a slip compared to previous years. Still, he performed particularly well at Frostbite 2018 and Hyrule Saga, placing 5th and 2nd respectively, with his only true demon this year coming in the form of Tweek’s Bayonetta.

#22 – Marss

Error note: Marss did not attend EVO.

Change from 2017: -10

Like Mr. R and many other players, Marss’ drop in ranking can be at least partially blamed on reduced attendance. Though, like an upcoming player, we can see some faults through his shakier placements (49th at Hyrule Saga, 33rd at Smash Con) that likely also held him back.

Regionally, he flourished, placing highly at several New England and Tristate events that saw him cultivating positive records on both Light and Salem, and a win at Midwest Mayhem 12 was critical in putting Marss into the Top 25 for the year.

#21 – Komorikiri

Change from 2017: -7

Kansai’s all time best player clocks in at 21st, perhaps a consequence of a struggled and shortened run at CEO 2018 where he lost to Cagt and Sinji. Nonetheless, Komorikiri’s wins are exactly what you would expect from him in years prior, with a perfect record on Dabuz and an exchange in sets with Nairo.

Unlike other Japanese players on this list, Komorikiri’s attendance in-country was limited to a scarce few events, including a couple of sandbagged events where would go all-Roy instead of Cloud. These factors ultimately reduce him from his prime, but he’s still a top tier player all the same based on his impressive catalog of wins.

#20 – Raito

Change from 2017: +20

Raito’s success story meets its peak at a top 20 placement. Duck Hunt, oft considered a poor character, had a trio of mains attend GENESIS 4 in early 2017 – Brood, You3, and Raito. While many debated who between Brood and You3 might be better (attested You3’s consistency vs. Brood’s peaks) nobody quite figured that Raito, placing a humble 49th, would go on to be the greatest Duck Hunt of all time.

Raito quickly demonstrated his vast skill in 2017, taking top win after top win, and the engine did not slow down in 2018. This notably peaked with a shock upset over Tweek and a positive record over Cosmos, with many of his wins defying conventional match-up knowledge. Even at CEO, he narrowly lost to MKLeo in a 5 game thriller.

With a collection of good runs stateside and at home,Raito is the first player to make the top 20 on this list.

#19 – Fatality

Change from 2017: +0

Georgia’s best comes in at 19th. The only Falcon on the ranking this year, Fatality’s sheer skill with the character is frequently on display with brutal advantage states and a well-developed understanding of how to manage and not panic in disadvantage, a trait that allowed him to take sets off of multiple top Bayonetta mains during the year.

Despite the year’s hostility to characters who struggle to recover, Fatality thrived as well as he did during the game’s busiest year.

#18 – KEN

Change from 2017: -10

Kanto’s best from 2017 slips a bit, likely entirely due to no attendance in the United States. His brief encounter with America at NicoNico Tokaigi 2018 results in a win over VoiD and 2 losses to Nairo, adding to the two players’ historical rivaled record.

In Japan, he won the major event Umebura 34 and placed top 8 at every event he attended during the year with his lowest placement being 7th. As his player card relays. this results in wins over virtually every notable Japanese player, forging him a top 20 placement on in-country performance alone.

#17 – VoiD

Change from 2017: -6

VoiD was in the unique position of performing well across the board at Category 4-level major events, winning Smash N’ Splash 4 for example on an incredible run, but unfortunately was held back by a lack of regional attendance or supermajor attendance.

Despite a slightly lower than expected ranking, VoiD holds a positive top 20 record, including 3 wins over Salem, and most notably of all, he took his first and only career win on Dabuz at Smash N’ Splash 4, his first major win and one of two major wins for Sheik after 2016’s patches nerfed the character.

This notably closes the game with VoiD as the strongest Sheik, though the career debate over him vs. Mr. R still stands given that this ranking takes place during a tumultuous and often ill-attended year of the game.

#16 – ANTi

Change from 2017: +9

Despite a rough start to 2018, ANTi went on to have his best year since 2016. While never quite reaching the peaks he had that year, he placed top 3 at multiple super regional events and, after the start of the year, was a constant presence in the Top 32 of major events.

Most notably, in a year where many perceived Mario to struggle vs. Bayonetta, ANTi made quick work of many Bayonetta mains that crossed his path, with wins on 4 separate top 20 Bayonetta mains.

He also notably won Mexican super regional Smash Factor 7, not phased by by the country’s depth or Larry Lurr.

#15 – Abadango

Change from 2017: -2

A player of many mains, Abadango kept his 2017 lineup of Bayonetta and Mewtwo going into 2018. This did him well, and despite a fairly scarce record v.s the top 20, he could consistently be seen in the top 3 of Japanese major events and fought hard to stop Dabuz at Smash Sounds.

Despite his eventual loss at that event, he still performed well at American majors like CEO 2018 where he saw his first top 8 at an American major in quite some time. Going into 2019 and a new game, Abadango will likely continue to prove his ability to main whoever he wants. In 4 alone, he was noted for being the best with, or at least top level with – Pac-Man, Wario, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, and Bayonetta.

#14 – CaptainZack

Change from 2017: +2

An early pioneer of post-patch Bayonetta (alongside Salem) CaptainZack fought hard into his most controversial year. Like previous years, Zack was marked with consistency issues, especially after EVO 2018. Notably, this came at Shine, where he dropped sets to Arhungry and Kuma.

Before his rougher latter half of the year, however, he was making fairly consistent top 8 placements at both majors and super regional events with a peak 2nd place at EVO 2018 to fellow Bayonetta player Lima.

He also unexpectedly defeated MKLeo at Hyrule Saga despite Leo’s well-known proficiency at the match-up, though their next encounter saw a swift win by MKLeo when he pulled out his own Bayonetta.

#13 – SDX

Error note: SDX’s region should be “Tristate”

Change from 2017: NEW

By far the fastest rising player in the world, SDX in one year usurped both Abadango and WaDi as the world’s best Mewtwo with a plethora of top level wins. This includes a solid record on Bayonetta players, but additionally involves a string of good regional performances (including a win at super-regional Canada Cup 2018) and multiple top 8s at major events.

This includes his Hyrule Saga run, where he defeated Mr E, DarkShad, Maister, Light, and Kameme to make top 8. Beyond that, his player card speaks to his sheer capability as a player, with several top 10 level wins

#12 – Samsora

Change from 2017: +14

Samsora’s greatest year yet, Samsora’s career as a top player began with an unlikely run at Clutch City Class where he defeated EVO Champ Ally twice. Ever since, Samsora began to rapidly climb the ranks until he broke through barriers in 2018.

One of the greatest accomplishments so far is Samsora’s positive record on Tweek, something very few people are able to attest, as well as a few solid peaks at events (most notably Smash Con, where he placed 2nd) and a wide array of placements just inside of the top 8 or just outside of it.

The highly technical Peach main is being closely looked at for his potential rise to power in Ultimate, and a 12th ranking in 2018 shows he’s not a stranger to jumping to new heights.

#11 – Elegant

Change from 2017: +7

Perhaps unexpectedly high, Elegant showed up at several major events during the year with a sole weak spot in Super Smash Con. Otherwise, this Luigi was steamrolling player-and-player at a combination of both major level events, placing top 8 at two notable majors, and often hovering just outside of the cusp of others.

He has a close 1-1 record vs. Nairo between a dominant set at CEO where he won and a very narrow loss at Super Smash Con, but his more notable rivalry comes with his 5-4 record vs. Lima that took place regionally across the entire year.

His only dark mark appears to be a weak record vs. Dabuz, a player who historically gives him and others on this ranking a mountain of trouble. Other than that, Elegant clocks in just outside of the Top 10 as the sole Luigi main in the top 100.

#10 – Light

Error note: Shine 2019 should be Shine 2018.

Change from 2017: +26

New England’s new elite Fox skyrockets into a top 10 position with a healthy combination of super regional placements and performances at majors like Smash N’ Splash 4 and Shine 2018. Usurping Marss, Light became New England’s best player in 2018, with the only thing holding him back from being higher being a bad run at Smash Con 2018.

Outside of that one instance, Light manages to have a tied record with Nairo, wins on Dabuz, a perfect record on ANTi, and a large quantity of wins amassed over the year due to his proximity to Tristate.

His best consistency at regional events is best represented by his consistent top 4 placing at every super-regional he attended during the year, meaning he was either surviving to Winners Finals or did not drop two sets in a row if he entered top 8 from winners side.

#9 – Cosmos

Change from 2017: +20

Our next major winner to cover is Cosmos, who progressively placed better and better at The Big House events from 2016 until he finally won the event in 2018 over PG partner ESAM.

As the best Corrin in the world, Cosmos saw a consistent spectrum of placements across the year and handily defeated numerous people who stood in his way. At CEO 2018, he defeated Manny, Falln, Abadango, and Dabuz to place top 3 at the event – only dropping sets to MKLeo and Tweek.

The Corrin pioneer ends his Smash 4 career with a PG sponsorship, a major win, and a solid record to help him push into Ultimate.

#8 – Lima

Change from 2017: +25

Controversial and meteoric in his rise, Lima became one of the most noteworthy Bayonetta mains in the game’s history after he became one of four people to win EVO in Smash 4.

His rise represented Texas’ absolute peak in Smash 4, and included a vast numbers of wins and good records. He went undefeated versus both Larry Lurr and Samsora during the year, well making up for his losing record to Leo.

#7 – Salem

Change from 2017: -4

Salem has become something of a controversial figure in a post-Smash 4 world, to pt it lightly. However, in Smash 4, he was the originator of Bayonetta’s success after her nerfs in the May 2016 patch. Despite many giving up on the character, Salem would go on to nearly defeat ZeRo at EVO 2016 in a losers match, and would do that exact thing twice no more than two months later at Collision XIV.

His history after that is pretty well known – despite initial struggles at national events, he’d go on to win EVO.

In 2018, despite many speculating him as a #1 candidate, Salem wobbled a bit and dropped a few spots due to a lack of the increasingly solid dominance we saw at points during mid-late 2017. He does have a major win on record this year – Shine 2018 – and he is fairly consistent, carrying wins on nearly every relevant player during the year including x4 of the top 5 (missing only Dabuz.)

#6 – Larry Lurr

Change from 2017: +1

Still the best Fox in the world, Larry Lurr rolls in at 6th. Critical to his high placement were super regional runs, most noted in his penchant for winning DreamHack events. This meant wins at both Dreamhack Austin (noted on the card) and Montreal, but also includes a super regional win at Showdown: Battle Royale 3.

Larry has historically always carried the torch as the best Fox main, and his shift year-to-year has been from 5, to 7, and now to 6. He’s easily one of the game’s most accomplished and consistent players, and despite some iffy supermajor runs during the year, he still managed to make key wins and placements when it was critical.

#5 – Nairo

Change from 2017: -3

Nairo’s drop came suddenly and regrettably due to a string of worse-than-expected performances later in his career, notably at Hyrule Saga, CEO, and EVO, with each on top of the last making people question if he was falling off.

He buckled down and had a good Smash Con, however, and one can’t ignore how steadfast and solid his early 2018 was. While the crown quickly became a contest between Leo and Tweek, Nairo was a prime contender after events like Tokaigi and Battle for Vegas.

His early year performances secured him a positive record on Leo, something few can attest to having, and he is one of few during the year to have multiple major level wins.

Despite a worse-than-usual year, Nairo’s history as the game’s best Zero Suit Samus and an all-time great can’t be denied – he simply fell into the same trap many did by the game’s end. It may put him at 5th for 2018, but he has a lasting legacy.

#4 – Mistake

Error note: Mistake also placed 5th at Super Smash Con 2018.

Change from 2017: +19

In a year of Bayonetta mains rising, many controversial, Mistake – now Tamim – takes the spot as the highest ranking new-era Bayonetta, ahead of his more controversial peers Captain Zack and Lima.

The Ontario-bound player started with a rapid acceleration in the summer of 2017 before a trail-off later in the year. A brief invitational at PAX South did not inspire much confidence after Mistake greatly underperformed at that events, but he’d go on to have arguably the best loser’s bracket run of the year at GENESIS 5.

At that event, after losing to Maister, he defeated ANTi, Konga, Javi, WaDi, K9sbruce, Falln, Dabuz, Nairo, and Salem in a chaotic loser’s run that saw close sets, a JV2 on Dabuz with his Zero Suit Samus, a maligned finish to his set with Nairo, and one of the most one sided sets of the year versus Salem.

Despite the controversy surrounding his rise and character, Mistake left his career – and tag – with an impressive set of accomplishments despite lacking a major win.

#3 – Dabuz

Change from 2017: +2

Our next super major winner is Dabuz, a king of consistency and the greatest Rosalina player to ever play the game. Winning several super regionals with ease, Dabuz’ only real falters in the late hours of the game were his roadblocks in breaking through a specific set of players who were often proficient with characters that had excellent match-ups on Rosalina.

However, as evidenced by his win record, he is clean enough to have wins on all of the top 10 except for Larry Lurr, and his win record doubtlessly extends far beyond that with positive records on the vast majority of his opponents. His suffocating play resulted in numerous shutout records against many legends of the game, with his best competition largely coming in the form of the two ranked ahead of him.

Despite his negative records vs. both, Dabuz still has wins on them, marking his ability to overcome most players. As of this year, Komorikiri was the only player to hold a clean and lengthy win record on Dabuz.

A strong Brawl veteran and a top 5 all-time Smash 4 player noted for his consistency, Dabuz will surely be a top threat moving into Smash Ultimate.

#2 – Tweek

Change from 2017: +4

A master of many characters over his career, Tweek only barely is unable to keep up and ultimately places at 2018’s runner up. It’s no shame, though, as Tweek has four major wins to his name, and only one non-appearance in a top 8 at every event he attended during the year.

Tweek, first a Jr. and Wario, found himself struggling due to the limitations of his early game choices. This ultimately turned him to Cloud, he rocketed him to a #18th rank in 2016, before additionally picking up Donkey Kong and Bayonetta in 2017. This put him 12 places higher.

However, Tweek further refined his gameplay. He was somewhat inconsistent in spots during 2017, but he crushed that in 2018 through a total mastery of Bayonetta, Cloud and Donkey Kong, the latter of which easily defeating Leo in set 1 of Grand Finals at CEO.

Tweek notably transitioned from being a Cloud main to becoming a Bayonetta main, starting with a fiery run at Frostbite that showcased how suffocating the character is capable of being, though he retains his Cloud and kept it sharp. He notably used it during most of Top 8 at CEO.

At the end of the day, Tweek is a solid #1 contender going into Ultimate, and in a final, chaotic year, was only bested by one player.

#1 – MKLeo

Change from 2017: +3

The heir apparent, MKLeo, appropriately began the year with Bayonetta-slaying run at GENESIS 5 that would set a sort of narrative tone for Smash 4’s final year. While the Bayonetta slayer eventually began to use Bayonetta himself as a replacement for Meta Knight, he remained extremely proficient at the match-up throughout 2018 and rarely ever dropped sets to players using the character.

In addition to his self-counterpick status to the game’s most dominant character in 2018, MKLeo was both the best Marth and Cloud in the world. While his position as best Marth hasn’t really been contested since he won ZeRo Saga in 2016, Cloud was up for dispute. However, with Komorikiri falling off slightly and Tweek largely shifting to Bayonetta, MKLeo laid claim to be the best as two of the best sword characters in the game.

While he was not present for EVO, he attended the similarly stacked Smash Con a week later and won it fairly decisively with Cloud and a brief touch of his Marth for Winners Finals and Grand Finals.

MKLeo’s impressive major win spanning year pushed him far enough into #1 that the spot was difficult to contest. In a year where many players faltered and struggled between a rapidly changing metagame and waning interest in the shadow of a new game, MKLeo’s worst performance was a 7th at Hyrule Saga, making him a perpetual top 8 threat at every event he attended.

Going into Ultimate, Leo is an early #1 contender. He started humbly, taking sets off of Ally in Project M, before eventually making his name known in Smash 4 with a big win over Mr. R with an at-the-time underrated character. In two year’s time after he began attending Canadian and American events, Leo would go on to become one of the greatest players to ever play the game, ending 2018 with a definitive #1 title in the game’s most controversial and bone-grinding year.

Outro – Day 4

Well, that’s mostly it! Tomorrow I will publish an article with various details on things going forward, a methodology, a listing of 101-309, and so on. It’ll be pretty sizable but I understand it will likely not attract as much attention (as post-ranking posts rarely do) but in case you miss it on reddit or twitter, it will be published around Noon CST on Friday the 25th.

Thanks for reading!