SSBMRank 2023: 100–91 (2024)

Melee Stats is proud to present SSBMRank 2023! Since Melee It On Me started SSBMRank in 2013, the Smash community has kicked off the year by celebrating and recognizing some of the greatest talents in the game. This year’s rankings reflect the grit and perseverance that our competitors have embodied over the last twelve months, and we hope you’ll join us in honoring those players and moments that have made 2023 such an incredible year.

We polled 29 community figures to rate each ballot-eligible player based on their performances throughout 2023. These panelists span a wide range: top players, tournament organizers, writers, analysts, and more. Each panelist rated each player with a value between 1 and 120, and then each player’s rating was aggregated to a single value based on their distribution of votes.

#100: K8A | Rating: 26.08

If you’ve ever played Slippi ranked, or engaged in any sort of discourse on Smash Twitter, you’ll know that no one has mastered the art of BM like Keita “K8A” Ohara. Since the days of being a mere local up-and-comer, K8A has fully leaned into a villainous persona, also boasting a self-proclaimed title of having the “worst mentality in Melee.” His infamous reputation has come from his penchant for taunting opponents, imitating their moves in between stocks, and roasting them on social media. This is a Fox molded from the fires of hatred; channeling those flames to debut on the Top 100, thanks to three incredible upsets at Tristate events in the last year: wins on Skerzo, Swift, and Bbatts.

But don’t let a video game persona fool you: it’s just a character. With the bigger spotlight he’s had since his rise to prominence, he’s used his platform to consistently speak out for social justice within the community and outside of it. Although he may play the role of a villain for fun, in reality, K8A’s extremely vocal about his opposition to injustice. When asked about what he wanted highlighted for his year, he simply requested that the words “Free Palestine” be included.

-Justin “DarkGenex” Cohen

#99: Ralph | Rating: 26.49

Having mostly stuck to competing in California in 2023, we didn’t get to see much of Ralph Arroyo, but we had more than enough information to know that he was still a threat to some of the best players in the world. Within NorCal, he earned wins over many power-ranked players, including nationally revered ones like Umarth and Shroomed. Such results would elevate him to the #4 spot on the NorCal Power Rankings, just below the vaunted trio of Shroomed, S2J, and SFAT.

But as great as his year had been locally, he actually ended the year with a strong out-of-region performance in Detroit. Making a surprise appearance at The Big House 11, the last supermajor of the year, Ralph would defeat Jah Ridin’ and fellow West Coast star Lucky in part of a strong run to 33rd place. The new year holds new possibilities, and the door for another strong season seems wide open.

-Hank Strandberg

#98: Umarth | Rating: 27.89

In one of the best runs at Genesis 9, NorCal’s own Umar “Umarth” Sohi would finish in a quietly impressive 17th place. The performance came with prominent sets over Matteo and Skerzo, setting the pace for a year of other strong showings. Snatching additional wins versus nut, Ralph, and Kürv, what also especially stood out was Umarth’s consistency at majors and regionals.

It was rare to see Umarth ever lose early. If it happened, it was usually to another Top 100 player or someone who’d break out at the same event. In an era where so many Top 100 players will regularly drop sets even at big events, Umarth has remained so reliable to where the act of defeating him itself is a big achievement. All-around strong, capable of surprising Top 50 players, and absolutely a threat to make deep supermajor runs, Umarth has made his third consecutive appearance on the Top 100.

-Hank Strandberg

#97: Zeo | Rating: 28.13

It’s day one of LACS 5, and the venue is getting excited about Magi and Chem going to game 5 on stream. Off-stream, in an unoccupied corner of the venue, Oliver “Zeo” Pei is about to win his own tournament set — a game 5 nailbiter against long-time rival KoopaTroopa895. This set was a microcosm of what it’s like to watch any Zeo set: high-octane psychotic nonsense, under the pretense of “normal” gameplay. Zeo perfectly spaces around Koopa recovering with reverse neutral B. Koopa breaks Zeo’s shield and Zeo somehow slideoff reversals his subsequent punish. The crowd of two people can hardly believe what they are watching.

In the tournaments following LACS 5, Zeo would go on to pick up wins over Kalvar, mvlvchi, Reeve, and Skerzo, notching his second ever appearance in the Top 100. When he’s not brutalizing his opponents with Captain Falcon, Zeo can usually be found happily discussing how bad the latest anime was, or making excited comparisons of players to JRPG bosses. He’s well-known in SoCal for being one of the friendliest guys around, but contrary to what you might think, that doesn’t make playing him any less scary.

-Eryk “Ambisinister” Banatt

#96: nut | Rating: 29.90

In between the glory days of Nimbus and the modern era of Verdugo, Michael “nut” Silver exists as a bridge between both generations of SoCal Melee, with this year marking a third time that the Sheik has made the annual Top 100. With wins over the likes of Slowking and Franz, nut boasts a variety of victories across the board, from players outside of his region to more familiar rivals.

A highlight of nut’s year came at Adam’s Smash Series 52, the local held before Major Upset. In one of the most remarkable performances of the year, he defeated Polish’s Fox, Salt, and Soonsay twice to win the entire tournament. Although nut would go on to do fairly well for himself at the main event, finishing in a respectable 17th place, the potential he showed with winning the pre-local was a big step forward for his results. Combined with a #3 finish in the Summer 2023 SoCal Power Rankings, nut has shown that he’s still capable of quite a few surprises.

-Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi

#95: Egg$ | Rating: 30.56

Following Soonsay in the list of Alberta players to make the Top 100, Jarvis “Egg$” Zazalack is also North America’s first Yoshi main to earn a spot on the list. Before taking his results to the next level, Egg$ had done quite a bit to stand out. He made viral Smash parody bowling animations, terrorized online events with his secondary Link, and if you were on the GOML boat, he was the life of the party, proudly donning a blue inflatable dinosaur suit all night long.

But make no mistake: Egg$ takes competing seriously. He’s particularly strong versus spacies, and his extensive labbing of Yoshi’s tech chases translated to wins over Lowercase hero, KJH, billybopeep, and Preeminent. However, his most notable set comes from one of most unique wagers ever risked during a Melee tournament: a money match — in reference to the shared money symbols of their tags. At The Big House 11, Egg$ and Mot$ decided that the loser of their match would relinquish the dollar sign from their tag for the rest of the year, while the winner could do whatever he wanted with the “$.” Guess what happened.

-Justin “DarkGenex” Cohen

#94: Jah Ridin’ | Rating: 30.81

After ten years of competing in Melee, developing the most brilliant punish game that a Luigi’s ever had, and dominating the rest of Switzerland, Yann “Jah Ridin’” Girardin wondered if it was time to retire. It was becoming increasingly difficult — and lonely — to justify spending money and time toward a hobby in which he’d always be thousands of miles away from other top players. He entered 2023 envisioning it as his farewell tour; a last chance to cement his legacy.

Whether in Europe or abroad in North America, Jah Ridin’ ended up excelling practically everywhere he traveled, ending the year with wins over Khalid, Frenzy, Zeo, max, and Pipsqueak. Although the experience was intense and had its challenges, Jah Ridin’s travel efforts ultimately paid off for his first ever appearance on the Top 100. Amazingly, Jah Ridin’ said that he now plans on continuing to attend as many big events as possible, showcasing that the Swiss legend is nowhere close to finished.

-Anokh EdwinBudding” Palakurthi

#93: Franz | Rating: 30.99

For yet another consecutive year, Aljon “Franz” Apilado can call himself the best Dr. Mario player in the world. While not as nationally active compared to recent years, the budding SoCal contender still managed to rack up a small bevy of notable tournament placements at regionals and majors alike. His head-to-heads for the year also boast four strong victories over fellow SSBMRank 2023 competition such as nut, Kalvar, Mot$, and Eddy Mexico.

It’s worth noting Franz’s unique spot in Top 100 history. Since the days of Shroomed, Franz is the only solo Dr. Mario that’s made the Top 100 since. To do it multiple times is something no Melee fan should ever take for granted, especially considering how rare it remains to see a top Dr. Mario. With the new year well underway, Franz will be looking to reassert his place amongst the game’s finest. With more time, he could continue showing the world that his character still has a place in the metagame.

-Hank Strandberg

#92: 404Cray | Rating: 31.47

Through another year of strong in-region performances, Arthur “404Cray” Hernandez returns once more to the Top 100. And yet with Genesis 9 and Collision 2023 as his only majors, it may come as a surprise to see New Jersey Melee’s self-described “Swagapino” here at all. If you only attend one major outside of your region, surely you are at a disadvantage vs. your peers. But 404Cray is an enigma: he doesn’t really need to travel. He’s just that good.

Although 2023 started off slowly, he’d score a neat win over Lowercase hero at Collision 2023, and then follow it up with defeating plenty of Tristate talent throughout the year, including Dawson, Mot$, and Bbatts. He’d later have his best win at The Function 3, most notably by knocking the invading Fiction out of winner’s bracket and defending Tristate. However, 404Cray didn’t mention any of his victories when asked what he wanted included as an annual highlight in his blurb. Truly living up to being an enigma, he echoed the same bold request from last year: a humble shout out to his favorite Vtuber, Nanashi Mumei.

-Justin “DarkGenex” Cohen

#91: Squid | Rating: 31.80

Making the Top 100 is no simple feat. Jeremy “Squid” Deutsch, however, has done it multiple times, and he’s made it look easy. As the prototypical “Top 100 Falco” in the back end of the 2010s, Squid became known for his meticulous research of Falco, willingness to theorycraft, and his competitive results. Crazier yet, he did this at a time when Uncle Punch didn’t even exist. That is, mind you, in reference to the training mod, and not the actual player — Squid’s not that old — but the point is that he’s been around the block.

Four years after his appearance on the 2019 MPGR, Squid’s made it back onto the list for SSBMRank 2023. With wins over KoopaTroopa895, Matteo, and KJH, he’s clearly proved that he still has the sauce. At a time in which many other legends of Irvine, California have left Smash for purer pastures, Squid remains as dedicated as ever, having attended each of Genesis 9, Get On My Level 2023 , Shine 2023, and The Big House 11. Here he is, still competing at the highest level, still sharing his insights with up-and-coming players, and still beating them.

-Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi

The SSBMRank 2023 Team

Director: Brendan “GimmeDatWheat” Malone
Editing Lead: Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi
Data Lead: Eryk “Ambisinister” Banatt
Graphics Lead: Nick “DarkDragoon” Konstantino

Check out start.gg/SSBMRank to follow along with the full list as it releases