We are down to the Top 25! These players have made several upsets and countless great placements at majors. Share your thoughts about today’s 5 with the hashtag #SSBMRank2015.


Photo Credits to Michael Hathaway (@tl_peanuts)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
25
7.668
24
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
9
N/A
97
13
N/A
Other Results
3rd at Super Nebulous 3
7th at FC Smash 15XR: Return
7th at Super Smash Con
7th at PAX Prime 2015
7th at Paragon LA 2015
5th at MLG World Finals 2015
17th at Tipped off 11
Summary
Mike “Nintendude” Brancato has a diverse set of skills, known also as a tournament organizer and Smash 64 player. In Melee, he has made a name through ruthless use of wobbling. He has found creative setups and tricky situations to maximize this technique and make it a cornerstone of his play. Once, this choice might have earned him derogatory insults from the community, but in 2015, it’s clear that with or without wobbling, Nintendude stands at the top of Icicle Mountain. He’s taken sets off Foxes like Lucky, Hax$, Silent Wolf, SFAT, and KJH, demonstrating his deep understanding of a difficult matchup, and has scraped wins off Bladewise, S2J, and Wizzrobe, showing he can win in unfavorable situations. At The Big House 5 he took Mango to a nail-biting, last-stock Game 5 before losing, suggesting he still has his best days ahead of him. Look out for Nintendude in 2016.
– Josh Kassel (@Roboticphish)

 


Photo Credits to Robert Paul (@tempusrob)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
24
7.679
22
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
5
N/A
25
N/A
N/A
Other Results
Summary
Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto is undoubtedly the best Yoshi main in the world, beginning the year by placing 5th at Apex 2015. Along the way he defeated Fly Amanita, Zhu, Lucky, SFAT, and KirbyKaze, before losing 2-3 to Mango. His next appearance in the United States was EVO 2015, where he overcame an early loss to Light in pools and finished 25th. He does not come to the United States often, but he is always a crowd favorite, beloved for his fancy combos and fast, technical maneuvering of a character rarely seen in high-level play. You can always expect him to put on a great show. He has also done well in Japanese tournaments such as KVO 2015 and CrazyHand 2015.
– Solomon McMurphy (@HFMSmash)

 


Photo Credits to Thomas Tischio (@Tischphotos)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
23
7.732
29
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
33
13
33
49
13
Other Results
13th at Paragon 2015
5th at Super Nebulous 3
5th at FC Smash 15XR: Return
5th at WTFox
25th at Paragon LA
13th at HTC Throwdown
4th at MLG World Finals 2015
2nd at Tipped Off 11
Summary
Considered by many to be the closest challenger to S2J for title of best Captain Falcon main, Wizzrobe is a rising, young star from Florida, where he is ranked 4th. Praised for his talent and skill across multiple Smash games, Wizzrobe has proven in the last two years he is a threat at the top level of Melee, placing 13th at Paragon Orlando 2015, CEO 2015, HTC Throwdown, and DreamHack Winter 2015, 5th at FC Return and WTFox, 4th at MLG World Finals 2015, 3rd at Smash ‘N’ Splash, and 2nd at Tipped Off 11. This has included victories over players like Mike Haze, DruggedFox, Duck, Darkatma, Overtriforce, and n0ne. He has given even Leffen and Mew2King a few close calls in tournament sets. A founder and advocate of the 20GX movement, Wizzrobe has been noted for his efficient play and consistent reactionary tech chasing in pursuit of an optimized Captain Falcon, which may explain why he is the best in the world in the Falcon ditto.
– Bryan Rapp (@Mithrintia)

 


Photo Credits to Old Abbot (@oldAbbot)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
22
7.797
38
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
33
N/A
13
9
5
Other Results
3rd at SWEET Prologue
5th at Get On My Level 2015
49th at Super Smash Con
Summary
It has been a great year for Samus mains, and James “Duck” Ma is one of the reasons why. His solid neutral and on-stage punish game are backed by phenomenal edgeguarding. First on the Michigan Power Rankings, he is considered by many to be the best player in the Midwest and is a famed Canada slayer, historically having many wins over KirbyKaze and other Canadian players on their home turf. His results at the national level have steadily improved: 33rd at Apex 2015, 13th at Evo 2015, and 9th at The Big House 5. He then ended the year with a bang, showing that Leffen hadn’t quite overcome his Samus demons as he eliminated the Swedish powerhouse from Dreamhack Winter on his way to an impressive 5th place finish. Other players he has taken sets from this year include Javi (TBH5), Swedish Delight (TBH5) MacD (EVO 2015), Eddy Mexico (TBH5), and The Moon (Combo Breaker 2015). Duck has been on an upward swing and seems determined to push Samus further in 2016.
– Jack “Kezzup” McDonald (@KezzupReviews)

 


Photo Credits to Thomas Tischio (@Tischphotos)

Rank
Rating
SSBMRank 2014
21
7.834
10
Tournament Results
Apex2015 ceo2015 evo2015 bh5
17
17
49
33
N/A
Other Results
9th at Paragon 2015
5th at Super Smash Con
9th at Paragon LA
5th at HTC Throwdown
17th at Tipped Off 11
Summary
For Colin “Colbol” Green, this has been an on-and-off year. Coming off an impressive 2014, the best Fox in Florida opened the new year by nearly beating Armada and finishing a strong 9th place at Paragon Orlando. But his reckless play, fast and technical but riddled with SDs, has struggled for much of the year since that first tournament, including a 49th place at Evo 2015. Long having struggled versus Fox and Falco, Colbol has adopted a new secondary, or perhaps a dual main to help overcome his weaker matchups: Marth. Since then, Colbol has undergone a small resurgence, including a 9th at Paragon Los Angeles, 5th at Super Smash Con, and 5th at HTC Throwdown, where his Fox took a set off Mew2King. Other notable players he has defeated this year include SFAT (Paragon Orlando), Eddy Mexico (Apex 2015), HugS (SSC and Paragon Los Angeles), and Lucky (Paragon Los Angeles and HTC). He is always a threat to take out Hungrybox at Florida locals, too. Only time will tell, though, if he can return to 2014-esque heights.
– Bryan Rapp (@Mithrintia)

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