We are down to the final 30! For this select group, we have expanded the information to include these player’s other placements at Majors. Share your thoughts about today’s 5 with the hashtag #SSBMRank2015.


Photo Credits to Thomas Tischio (@Tischphotos)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
30
7.417
11
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
17
N/A
17
33
N/A
Other Results
9th at I’m Not Yelling
2nd at Press Start
17th at Paragon LA
9th at Tipped Off 11
Summary
Despite a drop in activity compared to previous years, Jeremy “Fly Amanita” Westfahl has still proven himself a consistent threat in 2015. His creative grab set-ups, tricky desyncs, and potent Sopo continue to trouble many top players. Inactivity and a few questionable losses have caused him to fall to 10th on the SoCal Power Rankings, but Fly has fought deep into the bracket at many nationals and super nationals throughout the year. He reached 17th at Apex 2015, 9th at I’m Not Yelling!, 17th at EVO 2015, 17th at Paragon Los Angeles, 33rd at The Big House 5, 9th at Tipped Off 11, and perhaps most impressively, 2nd at Press Start. At these tournaments, he’s taken sets off Shroomed, Axe, SFAT, KirbyKaze, and Reno.
– Jack “Kezzup” McDonald (@KezzupReviews)

 


Photo Credits to Old Abbot (@OldAbbot)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
29
7.448
21
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
17
9
33
17
N/A
Other Results
13th at Paragon 2015
9th at Super Smash Con
9th at PAX Prime 2015
17th at HTC Throwdown
13th at Smash Summit
Summary
He may be forever remembered as the recipient of the Wombo Combo, but Julian Zhu has a formidable resume. Originally from NorCal, Zhu is now the top ranked player in Philadelphia. Many were saddened when he announced his intention to main Sheik and drop Falco. However, he continues to have consistent performances with Falco: 9th at CEO 2015, Super Smash Con, and Pax Prime, 13th at Paragon Orlando, and 17th at Apex 2015, HTC Throwdown, and The Big House 5, with wins over players like HugS and KJH. At the Smash Summit, he defeated Westballz in a Falco ditto money match and had a nail-biting game 5 loss to Axe. Recently, one of his focuses has been Smash Practice, a group founded by him and Cactuar dedicated to teaching and improving lower-level players. At tournaments, Zhu can be spotted with a camera, recording material for the video montages he produces.
– David Tyler(@flossy_tas)

 


Photo Credits to Thomas Tischio (@Tischphotos)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
28
7.497
30
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
13
7
33
33
N/A
Other Results
1st at Super Nebulous 2
9th at Super Smash Con
7th at Tipped Off 11
Summary
Ryan “La Luna” Coker-Welch, aka The Moon, is one of the best solo Marth mains in the world, second only to PewPewU, and also one of the most unique, swinging the sword more than most. The #1 ranked player in New York began the year by winning Super Nebulous 2, where he beat Hax and Ice. He rode this momentum to 13th place at Apex 2015, beating Fiction, Slox, and Silent Wolf along the way. Since then he has placed inconsistently: 7th at CEO 2015, 33rd at EVO 2015, 9th at Super Smash Con, 33rd at The Big House 5, and 7th at Tipped Off 11. But the lows, questionable losses to Luigi, Ganondorf, or Link, are made up for by the highs: wins over SFAT, Colbol, Javi, Fly Amanita, Frootloop, and Abate. He is half of Melee team and commentary duo Grab ‘N’ Go, his partner being DJ Nintendo.
– Derek “DZ Rei” Zhang (@DZhang4)

 


Photo Credits to Old Abbot (@OldAbbot)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
27
7.582
23
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
7
N/A
97
33
N/A
Other Results
1st at SWEET Prologue
7th at I’m Not Yelling
5th at Super Nebulous 3
3rd at Get On My Level 2015
Summary
It will be difficult to replace David MacDonald, one of the most creative and innovative Sheiks in Melee. He recently announced retirement, admitting he has tired of the game, but he has given us some memorable performances and many “Dynasty” combos throughout his career. For a while, he was arguably 6th in the world and seemed poised to break into the very top tier of players. After a hiatus in 2013, he wasn’t as dominant, but he continued to impress. In the first half of 2015 he placed 7th at Apex, 7th at I’m Not Yelling, 5th at Super Nebulous 3, and 3rd at GOML 2015, beating PewPewU, MacD, The Moon, and Westballz. They say you can never quit Melee, but even if he never returns, it would be hard to fault his accomplishments and his deserved reputation as one of Canada’s best players of all time.
– Eli Schoop

 


Photo Credits to Thomas Tischio (@Tischphotos)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
26
7.618
27
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
N/A
N/A
17
17
N/A
Other Results
4th at Tipped Off 11
5th at Forte 3
Summary
Mexico’s best player caught the rest of the world’s attention when he defeated PPMD at Apex 2012 and finished 4th. Since then, Javi and his Fox have been a consistent national threat at the American tournaments he attends: 4th at Tipped Off 11, 17th at Evo, and 17th at The Big House 5, losing only to other Top 30 players. He is known for his unique grip, a style of claw that treats the controller like an arcade stick. It enables him to be a technical monster, feeding into the fast and shine-heavy style of gameplay he developed while training versus Falco, the character his twin brother plays. With the recent surge of crowd-funded flights, one can hope Javi will make it to more tournaments in 2016 and become a consistent name to watch out for.
– Louis Torracinta

Panelists

42 Panelists

(More Panelists were asked from each region, but did not turn in a ballot in a timely manner)

Socal (6)
– HugS
– s2j
– MacD
– MikeHaze
– Kira
– Reno

Norcal (4)
– TarheelJKS
– Laudandus
– Toph
– Shroomed

Midwest (5)
– Juggleguy
– FendrickLamar
– Duck
– Webs
– DarkAtma

New England (3)
– Mafia
– MattDotZeb
– Gtown Tom

Maryland/Virginia (4)
– Nintendude
– Redd
– Chillindude
– Wife

Pacific Northwest (5)
– Silent Wolf
– Bladewise
– Vish
– eBay
– Fat Goku

Arizona (3)
– Axe
– Tai
– DarkDragoon

South (5)
– s0ft
– Flow
– Chi Wong
– Gahtzu
– Hungrybox

Tri-State (2)
– Zhu
– Swedish Delight

Canada (2)
– Idea
– n0ne

Europe (3)
– MikeHaggar (w/ Armada)
– Imperfect
– Mahie

Rest Of The List

12/21/2015 – SSBMRank #100-91
12/22/2015 – SSBMRank #90-81
12/23/2015 – SSBMRank #80-71
12/24/2015 – SSBMRank #70-61
12/25/2015 – SSBMRank #60-51

12/28/2015 – SSBMRank #50-41
12/29/2015 – SSBMRank #40-31
12/30/2015 – SSBMRank #30-26
12/31/2015 – SSBMRank #25-21
1/1/2016 – SSBMRank #20-16

1/4/2016 – SSBMRank #15-11
1/5/2016 – SSBMRank #10, #9, #8, #7
1/6/2016 – SSBMRank #6, #5, #4
1/7/2016 – SSBMRank #3, #2, #1
1/8/2016 – SSBMRank Recap

Other Information

Acknowledgements

SSBMRank is a big undertaking every year. We could have not done this without the help of HTC, who generously helped us out with this year’s production values. Nick, Darkdragoon, was a workhorse with the formatting and the graphics this year as well. We also had countless volunteers that helped out with numerous tasks.

Photographers
Robert Paul (@tempusrob)
Michael Hathaway (@tl_peanuts)
Thomas Tischio
Old Abbot (@oldAbbot)
Itsjustatank (@itsjustatank)
Ludwig Ahgren
/u/BirdUPSSBM
Big Blue eSports (@BigBlueES)
SleepyK (@sleepike)
Alex Baldwin
Meowth

Blurb Writers
Eli Schoop
Bradley Stafford (@bradcobra)
Louis Torracinta
Sawyer Frey (@ssbm_tm)
Derek Zhang (@DZhang4)
Matt Deslatte (@pantsnameguy)
Matthew Reed (@Matthew__Reed)
Jack McDonald (@KezzupReviews)
Luke Geldart (@Haksause)
Andrew Blessington (@AJawesome07)
Nick Gow (@ssbm_Song)
Anthony Bruno (@slime_machine)
Bryan Rapp (@Mithrintia)
David Tyler (@flossy_tas)
Josh Kassell (@roboticphish)
Solomon McMurphy (@HFMSmash)

Fact Finders
Eli Schoop
Bradley Stafford (@bradcobra)
Louis Torracinta
Derek Zhang (@DZhang4)
Matt Deslatte (@pantsnameguy)
Matthew Reed (@Matthew__Reed)
Jack McDonald (@KezzupReviews)
Luke Geldart (@Haksause)
Andrew Blessington (@AJawesome07)
Bryan Rapp (@Mithrintia)
David Tyler (@flossy_tas)
Solomon McMurphy  (@HFMSmash)

Editors
Sheridan Zalewski (@sheridactyls)
Louis Torracinta
Scott Zeng
Andrew Blessington (@AJawesome07)
Nick Gow (@ssbm_Song)
Andrew Nestico (@PracticalTAS)
Anthony Bruno (@slime_machine)
Bryan Rapp (@Mithrintia)
David Tyler (@flossy_tas)
Josh Kassel (@roboticphish)

Picture Finders
Bradley Stafford (@bradcobra)
Louis Torracinta
Scott Zeng
Sawyer Frey
Derek Zhang (@DZhang4)
Matthew Reed (@Matthew__Reed)
Luke Geldart (@Haksause)
Nick Buckman