Welcome to the seventh of ten articles for OrionRank 2017! I’ll be detailing the Top 100 player-by-player.

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

#40 – Raito

2016 Rank: 150th (+110)

Raito first entered U.S. tournaments after the Duck Hunt crew met their compendium goal for G4. This run, ending at 49th, would end up being his worst run stateside, as his following visits brought upset after upset and carried him farther from his 2016 ranking than any other player.

This defied the common expectation of Raito as the “third best” Duck Hunt from Japan. While all them have shown to be very capable, Raito’s travels to the U.S. have net him wins over Dabuz, VoiD, Mr. R, Larry, and ESAM, with special note to a low-followed weekly win on MKLeo around the time KSB and UJM took place.

He remains a very consistent player using a character once dismissed by many, also making him a huge fan favorite.

#39 – Locus

2016 Rank: 82nd (+43)

Locus made his mark in late 2016 at ZeRo Saga and continued that trend into 2017. His strongest performance came at Civil War, where he defeated players like Nairo, Shuton, and Ally to place 7th.

His performances during the rest of the year lagged, a trait common in many of the top Ryu mains, and he notably picked up Bayonetta as a character to deal with Sonic, a match-up he historically struggles with.

While his results have waned, he’s still a generally consistent player, and that backed by a strong early year is enough to put him this high.

#38 – JK

2016 Rank: 52nd (+14)

A Vegas smasher who rose to prominence in 2016 as the West Coast’s best Bayonetta, JK capitalized on the potential he had with a strong start at GENESIS Saga. His performances early year otherwise dipped into the less impressive, until a strong losers run at EVO that saw him defeating Locus, Zinoto, Suinoko, Manny, and Luhtie.

His low points seem to match only his mediocre performances the longer the year went on and his better performances, while not quite matching his run at EVO, demonstrated significant improvement and potential going forward. His last national outing, Clutch City Clash 2, saw him taking ZeRo to game 5.

Due to controversy that forced an extended hiatus/temporary retirement, JK may not be on future rankings, and his mid-late year performances may lead one to wonder how far he might’ve gotten.

#37 – Ned

2016 Rank: 59th (+22)

Chicago’s #1 and a former ZSS main, Ned’s progressive shift to Cloud proved excellent for his status as a national threat in 2016. In 2017, it carried over, resulting in a fantastic opening salvo at Midwest Mayhem Saga that acts as a huge backbone for his position this year.

At that event, he beat DKwill, Zack, Zinoto, Larry Lurr, and VoiD before being stopped by komorikiri. He never reached this peak at a major scale, but he did win Midwest Mayhem 7 around the same time in convincing fashion, and his various Top 48 and Top 32 placements have secured him wins on numerous ranked players.

In region, he very notably defeated Cloud slayer ZeRo at Midwest Mayhem 8, continuing Chicago’s strong trends at the event series.

#36 – Light

2016 Rank: N/A (NEW)

Light’s climb is one that I think most could’ve seen coming if they kept a close eye on the many New England regionals throughout the year. Those gave him a good number of wins, but the true big moment would be when he defeated their region’s #1, Marss. It inevitably happened, and not long after, you saw his national results begin to surge.

He convincingly beat the top 2 Sheiks during their encounters at Shine (VoiD) and S4BC (Mr. R), with 5 set wins on Marss and a variety of wins of East Coast smashers he’s encountered at regionals & majors across 2017.

#35 – Mr. E

2016 Rank: 25th (-10)

Once a primary Marth player, he seems to have shifted largely to Lucina. He does have wins with his Marth, though – including an unexpected and dominant 3-0 over Captain Zack at Frostbite.

We also saw a strong performance at SoCal regional event IBP Masters Showdown, where he convincingly 3-0’d Larry before being eliminated by a Sonic bracket. Another example of his 3-0s comes at The Big House 7, where Tweek fell victim to him in losers bracket.

As seen by his major event record, his duds are few and far between, making him a consistent player capable of occasionally breaking expectations with strong sets over higher ranked players.

#34 – tsu

2016 Rank: 68th (+34)

Tsu took off like a rocket at the beginning of 2017. While many may have written off his win over Mr. R at NicoNico Tokaigi as one of many in a bargain bin of upsets that happen in Smash 4, tsu went on shortly after to tear his way through Tweek, VoiD, Kameme, Salem, and ZeRo to place 2nd at Frostbite 2017.

That run is a major reason he ranks high, but his inability to replicate explains why he isn’t a tad bit higher. Despite not reaching heights seen in February’s Frostbite event, he has a solid set record over Japan and is quite consistent in his stateside performances once you account for Frostbite as an exceptional case.

It’s hard to say where Tsu will go in 2018. He is not attending Frostbite 2018, but Lucario can never be underestimated, and we’re bound to see more interactions between Tsu and North American players in the future.

#33 – Lima

2016 Rank: N/A (NEW)

One of the latest breakout Bayonetta mains, Lima helped put Texas back on the map after Trela’s temporary retirement began. He had a number of solid showings throughout the year, but his true breakout was likely at EVO 2017 where he placed 9th after beating Mr. E, LingLing, Mistake, and NAKAT.

A stronger win was taken at Low Tier City 5, where he defeated Larry Lurr in Winners Quarters, adding to a very dominant track record over Larry that ended as a 4-0 in 2017. He also took out noted Bayo slayer Elegant at ARMS Saga and went on a steamroll through losers bracket at Canada Cup.

#32 – Kameme

2016 Rank: 14th (-18)

Japan’s premier Mega Man noted for his incredible EVO showing experienced a decline in 2017. While still an incredibly threatening player as seen at Frostbite and MomoCon, where he defeated MKLeo & longtime demon Ally, respectively, Kameme fell from his top 3 status in Japan and fell to a larger number of upsets in 2017.

Despite this, he has defeated KEN, holds a clean record over Cosmos, and has a solid number of top 8 or 12 placements at Category 4 events to offset his poorer performances at events like EVO and Super Smash Con.

#31 – MVD

2016 Rank: 51st (+20)

2016 was a struggle for Florida as a unit at the top level compared to their prominence in 2015. However, 2017 saw a significant uptick in their bracket performances, and MVD happened to be one of the most significant comebacks in this regard.

The Big House 7, where he defeated Abadango, Tweek, and Mr. R and ultimate placed 5th, marked MVD’s strongest showing. Wins on Ally at EVO and Zack at GT-X in mid-late 2017 further back his impressive score.