40Cactuar

Rank
Charles “Cactuar” Meighen
 Score
40 Main(s) Fox/Marth 7.610
Region: Tri-State
Tourney Results 33rd at Apex 2013
5th at Pound V.5
Summary:
 Some think he’s the mysterious Keanu Reaves because of his looks. Others think he’s Morpheus because of his teaching ability. This prickly fella has a deep understanding of how Melee works at a fundamental level. Ask him a question and chances are he’ll give you a wealth of information. When his game is on, Cactuar will make you feel completely helpless against his calculated pressure and unassuming movement. He is famous for taking multiple opponent stocks without even getting touched.

39Darkrain

Rank
David “Darkrain” John
 Score
39 Main(s) Captain Falcon 7.625
Region: Midwest
Tourney Results 25th at EVO 2013
7th at MELEE-FC10R
Summary:
“There are certain people that I feel like encapsulate the emotion or the feeling behind a character.” – ProgWhen this guy plugs in his controller, pull up a chair beside him and marvel at his greatness. Nobody gets the crowd hyped up like this Captain Falcon from the heart of America. Darkrain has been stomping the competition for years and remains one of the longest-running high-level players of all time. You will likely find him at the distinguished Show Me Your Moves series, an annual Midwest regional tournament of which he is the only two-time champion. In addition to his human highlight reel capabilities, Darkrain has picked up several quality wins in the past such as vs Hungrybox at Tipped Off 4 and a clean sweep of the Falcon Round Robin (vs SilentSpectre, vs Hax, and vs Scar) at Pound 4. Some might just say he’s known for his infamous “Darkrain Combo,” but in the end the man just puts on a show.

th0rn

Rank
Billy “th0rn” Gardella
 Score
38 Main(s) Falco 7.635
Region: New England
Tourney Results 25th at Apex 2013
2nd at GUTS 2
Summary:
Th0rn, or Big Bad Biddeford Billy, is a slower sort of Falco, often relying on space control and positioning over speed and move priority. He has remained one of the Northeast’s best players since he started playing the game in 2005. Although he rarely travels, top players are familiar with his name, and he had a notable win over SFAT in their bracket set at Apex 2013. Th0rn is one of only three New England smashers who have taken sets off of KoreanDJ since 2010, several of which were in grand finals.

37Wins

Rank
Vincent “Vwins” Jodoin
 Score
36 (Tie) Main(s) Peach 7.647
Region: Canada
Tourney Results 9th at Apex 2013
Summary:
 Vwins, short for “Vincent Wins,” is probably the best Peach player relative to his notoriety (in that he’s extremely good but not deservedly well-known). His methodical playstyle, frustratingly consistent combos and precise edgeguarding all warrant a comparison with Armada. He is also a very strong Doubles partner, especially since Quebec practices Doubles more often than many other regions. A Vwins sighting is rare, but legends speak of a man who appears in the cold darkness of the night, wading through shadow and mist to feast on foxes, birds, and small children in matching outfits.

36Vanz

Rank
Jaden “VaNz” Carr
 Score
36 (Tie) Main(s) Peach 7.647
Region: Midwest
Tourney Results 49th at Apex 2013
25th at TBH3
Summary:
Hailing from New York City in 2007, VaNz is recognized as one of the best Peach mains in the world aside from Armada. VaNz views himself more as a tactician when it comes to playing Peach, as opposed to an all out agressive player. VaNz has beaten out many great players such as Unknown522, PewPewU, and Cyrain. VaNz currently resides in Ohio, and is one of Midwests strongest players. He is also known for being well versed in Project Melee as well, arguably having one of the best Zero Suit Samus’ in the world.

35Kage

Rank
Roustane “Kage the Warrior” Benzeguir
 Score
34 (Tie) Main(s) Ganondorf 7.658
Region: Canada
Tourney Results 17th at Apex 2013
9th at TBH3
Summary:
 Kage The Warrior, or Kage for short, is undoubtedly the best Ganondorf player. He lives in Montreal, Quebec, where he started playing Melee in 2006 and learned the game largely from Bam, Vwins, PKMVodka and Chesterr01. Known as much for his “warrior” philosophy as his powerful playstyle, Kage quickly rose to prominence by causing a string of upsets at U.S. nationals, most notably throughout the Revival of Melee series. Famously, he defeated MaNg0 twice at ROM2 and eliminated him from the tournament. Kage can also claim set victories over Hax, Lucky, Shroomed, SFAT, and a host of others, as well as recent placings of 17th at Apex 2013 and 9th at The Big House 3. He is one of the few smashers whose real name is stranger than his Smashboards tag.

34Bladewise

Rank
Teddy “Bladewise” Seybold
 Score
34 (Tie) Main(s) Peach 7.658
Region: Washington
Tourney Results 33rd at Evo 2013
33rd at Apex 2013
Summary:
Bladewise, a menacing Peach from Washington, has a knack for reading his opponents’ movement patterns and punishing them hard with devastating “zero-to-death” combos, reminiscent of Armada in his prime. He’s a contender for the best player in Washington along with the famous Silent Wolf, trading sets with him in the grand finals of several local tournaments.

33KoreanDJ

Rank
Daniel “KoreanDJ” Jung
 Score
33 Main(s) Sheik/Fox/Marth 7.663
Region: New England
Tourney Results 1st at Northeastern Smash Attack
4th at GUTS 2
Summary:
Best known for his rise to the top during the 2006-2007 MLG circuit, KoreanDJ is arguably one of the few to have at some point held the title of best in the world. His Sheik opened many people’s eyes, demonstrating just how deep Sheik can go for a stock and still survive off stage. He took a step back from competitive Melee in 2008 following Viva La Smash, but later returned and began entering local events within New England, dropping less than 10 sets since 2010. He most recently won NSA in November 2013, defeating Zoso and The Moon in winners finals and grand finals using Marth, showing that he can still stand among the best in the Northeast.

32MacD

Rank
McCain “MacD” Lavelle
 Score
32 Main(s) Peach 7.674
Region: SoCal
Tourney Results 65th at EVO 2013
65th at Apex 2013
Summary:
McCain LaVelle, A.K.A. MacD, is one of the top Peach players in the U.S. Some would even venture to say that he’s the second best Peach after Armada. Though he started playing Melee in NorCal, he didn’t become known until he came to SoCal for college (UCI). He’s exceptionally skilled in Doubles and is notorious for his janky style of play. As he began improving in 2009, much of SoCal refused to give him credit for his wins due to how he played the game. In particular, his habit of down-smashing on platforms was called out as being “so dumb, it works.” Over the years, MacD has proven to be an intelligent player and is now better known for his aggressive playstyle in both Singles and Doubles. After about a year-long hiatus, MacD has had strong showings at recent SoCal tournaments, beating notable players such as Lucky, Westballz, and Fly Amanita.

31Fiction

Rank
Shephard “Fiction” Lima
 Score
31 Main(s) Fox 7.684
Region: SoCal
Tourney Results 17th at EVO 2013
High Placings at Socal Locals
Summary:
Fiction started his Smash career as a very successful Brawl player. As a Wario main, he was highly respected and even won Doubles with Mew2King at Genesis 1. Now, Fiction is a full-time Melee player who shows the world how to play Fox at a fundamental level. He has the general game knowledge needed to properly zone and pressure other players without leaving himself vulnerable, an important skill that sharply distinguishes him from novice Fox players.

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