30DaShizWiz

Rank
Bronson “Dashizwiz” Layton
 Score
30 Main(s) Falco 7.788
Region: Florida
Tourney Results 17th at EVO 2013
5th at Zenith 2013
Summary:
DaShizWiz lives in southern Florida and is considered to be one of the best Falco players in the U.S. His original teachers were Lambchops and RockCrock, and he quickly became one of the top players throughout 2008 and 2009 after attending out-of-state events for the first time. Shiz is probably best known for his set with Mew2King at the original Revival of Melee. The video for the fourth match of their losers finals set is one of the most watched competitive Smash matches of all time. Shiz plays a technical Falco and Fox, but prefers to end stocks early and efficiently instead of going for extended combos.

29Lord

Rank
Erick “Lord” Lui
 Score
29 Main(s) Captain Falcon 7.800
Region: NorCal
Tourney Results 17th at EVO 2013
33rd at LanHammer
Summary:
Despite playing competitively since 2006, NorCal’s “Hidden Boss” Lord is a player few had heard of until recently. Outstanding testimonials contrasting with his sporadic tournament results (he recently failed to advance from pools at Lanhammer, then got 17th at Evolution 2013) have led to debate over whether Lord is underrated or overrated. However, his consistency has only improved since EVO, and these days he has only narrow losses to top 20 players, like his infamous 2-3 loss versus SFAT where he failed to recover after doing a knee finisher. With his exceptionally tight defense and read-heavy (borderline disrespectful!) offense, Lord is definitely a player to watch out for.

28Colbol

Rank
Colin “Colbol” Green
 Score
28 Main(s) Fox 7.819
Region: Florida
Tourney Results 13th at Apex 2013
3rd at MICE
4th at Tipped Off 9
Summary:
When people talk about the best Foxes, Colbol often undeservedly flies under their radar. He doesn’t travel to many tournaments outside of Florida, but Colbol never disappoints on the national stage, proving that his Fox can compete with the best. His routine practice with fellow Floridians Hungrybox, Plup, and DaShizWiz has given him enough experience to challenge even the game’s elite players. At Apex 2013, he impressively beat S2J in both pools and bracket, as well as took a game off of Dr. PeePee.

27Plup

Rank
Justin “Plup” McGrath
 Score
27 Main(s) Samus 7.832
Region: Florida
Tourney Results 17th at Apex 2013
2nd at MICE
Summary:
Justin “Plup” McGrath is a relatively new face in the SSBM community, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a highly skilled player in only a few years. Plup is capable of picking out the key concepts involved in mastering a game simply by watching it; SSBM is just one of the many video games he excels at, including (but not limited to) StarCraft II and Heroes of Newerth. He’s proven his ability by getting 2nd in Doubles at Apex 2012 and 2013 with Hungrybox, on top of many other accomplishments. In less than two years he rose to the rank of 3rd best in Florida behind only Colbol and Hungrybox, and his recent wins over Colbol make him a contender for 2nd. His spacing and edgeguarding are already on par with those of Melee’s top players, and with more experience he could give even the best in the world a run for their money.

26ChillinDude

Rank
Kashan “Chillindude829” Khan
 Score
26 Main(s) Fox 7.940
Region: Maryland/Virginia
Tourney Results 3rd at Pound V.5
4th at RoM 6
Summary:
One of the most important, influential, and skilled players in the history of Smash. There is not nearly enough space here to explain his importance, but take our word for it–the SSBM community may have never reached its current state without this powerhouse. Respected as a TO, cherished as a teammate, and feared as an opponent, Chillin plays with a ferocity and efficiency that is the result of several years’ experience. His signature falling up-airs with Fox are but one example of his creative mental game, but his tech skill is so perfectly honed that few players could ever hope to match his movement and execution. To this day, he is often recognized as one of the best teams players to ever play the game.

320060_10100459947149103_574476227_n

Rank
Roberto “OverTriforce” Iglesias
 Score
25 Main(s) Sheik 7.972
Region: Spain
Tourney Results 9th at Apex 2013
3rd at B.E.A.S.T 3
7th at Smasher’s Reunion
Summary:
OverTriforce surprised many a few years ago at Pound 4 by nearly beating Mew2King in his American debut. Circumstances led to Over taking a break from the game for a few years, but he still dominates the European scene, often placing in the top 3 of major international tournaments. His slick movement, tech chases, and out-of-shield game terrorize his opponents, especially “space animal” players.

24Taj

Rank
Tony “Taj” Jackson
 Score
24 Main(s) Marth/Mewtwo 8.039
Region: Arizona
Tourney Results 13th at EVO 2013
33rd at Apex 2013
Summary:
Tony “Taj” Jackson is perhaps most famous for his remarkable Mewtwo, arguably reaching the highest level of skill at which any low tier character has ever been played. His Marth, however, is not to be ignored. Taj is a master of the Falco matchup and the Marth ditto, with his crisp edgeguards and excellent spacing propelling him to upset victories over numerous superior players of these characters. This Arizona legend has also helped train upcoming AZ players and stars in the renowned series of Mewtwo combo videos titled “Shadow Claw.”

23Westballz

Rank
Weston “Westballz” Dennis
 Score
23 Main(s) Falco 8.100
Region: SoCal
Tourney Results 17th at EVO 2013
33rd at Apex 2013
5th at KoC 3
Summary:
When Westballz comes in with his patented pressure as Falco, he withers defenses down, multi-shining and forcing his opponents into difficult decisions. Pair this with his amazing combo and punishment game and it’s not hard to see why Westballz is one of the most exciting players to have as an opponent. He has recently expanded his game by learning to play a high-level Fox and Captain Falcon, the latter of which landed an astounding Sacred Combo vs ZeldaFreak at Kings of Cali 3. His style does create some consistency issues in certain matchups, but Westballz’s commitment to experiment and learn from these moments will continue to improve his overall skill.

22ChuDat

Rank
Daniel “ChuDat” Rodriguez
 Score
22 Main(s) Ice Climbers 8.288
Region: Maryland/Virginia
Tourney Results 2nd at Bar Wars
3rd at Shuffle IV
Summary:
As probably the first truly competitive Ice Climbers player in Melee, Chu’s ability to intelligently and reliably de-sync his character introduced a whole new dimension to the Smash metagame in its early years. But his importance to Melee goes beyond his gameplay; he also frequently hosts tournaments and has housed many traveling players in need of a place to stay. His move to the West Coast to join Ken’s crew was controversial at the time, but now it can be recognized as a shining example of how SSBM helps forge new friendships among like-minded people from around the world. He remains a well-respected and prominent figure in the Smash community.

photo

Rank
Jeremy “Fly_Amanita” Westfahl
 Score
21 Main(s) Ice Climbers 8.358
Region: SoCal
Tourney Results 17th at EVO 2013
3rd at LanHammer
2nd at KoC 3
Summary:
One of the most tactical players in the community, Fly is known for his keen analytic playstyle and his unparalleled mastery of desyncing. Though he does not attend many out-of-region tournaments, Fly places highly in the ones he does grace with his presence. He has the ability to get the most out of a single grab without having to resort to wobbling. Even when his Nana dies early, Fly can find openings and rack up damage with his impressive SoPo play. #SOPO

Next
SSBMRank #11-20

Prev
SSBMRank #31-40