SSBMRank 2023: 40–31
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.
#40: Junebug | Rating: 71.50
If you’re vaguely involved in the Smash scene, you’ve seen Arjun “Junebug” Rao’s face or you’ve heard his voice. You might know him as the MD/VA Sheik main, the commentator with the infectious laugh, or perhaps the YouTuber who describes himself as a “Former Top Level Player.” Today, Junebug has yet another accomplishment: making the Top 100 as a Donkey Kong player. In fact, he’s found himself at the forefront of a DK renaissance.
Not only has he made SSBMRank with the gorilla; he’s one of multiple people this year to accomplish this feat for the first time. At the same time, with wins over Magi, Ginger, and Polish, Junebug has easily had the strongest results. It all came together for a heroic run to thirteenth place at The Big House 11: the greatest performance a Donkey Kong player has had in the last decade. The world may have been introduced to Junebug through his Sheik, but it’s actually fitting that he now plays DK. In similar fashion to how playing Donkey Kong was formerly a lost art, Junebug had tech skill and old-school knowhow that lay dormant for years. Now he’s finally back to kick some tail — and you know him well.
-Alex “Quality Steve” Lee
#39: Khalid | Rating: 71.73
Khalid Serdah has never been afraid of challenges, having entered more than eighty events over the last year. Though weaker souls may look to avoid unlucky draws and may wince at the thought of bad losses to unheralded players, Khalid’s always understood that the journey is the destination. Among his year’s many ups, such as upsetting Krudo at Genesis 9, and downs, such as flying to Arizona to lose a Jigglypuff ditto, his best performance came at Get On My Level 2023 in a run that somehow looks more unbelievable today than it felt at the time.
Imagine being Khalid. It looks like you’ve come all this way to Canada to play the Michigan bogeyman Ossify for 33rd. This is terrifying, yet you are here to compete, not worry about rankings. Not only do you beat him; you then defeat essy, S2J, Joshman, and Morsecode762 to the enter the hallowed halls of a supermajor top eight. When you can Simply Win, is it worth thinking about how others could evaluate your performance? Khalid’s always put his heart and soul into Melee, whether it’s taking on aMSa at a supermajor or battling Franz at a nine-entrant San Diego local for 70 percent of the 45 dollar prize pool.
-Jacob “chroma” Robins
#38: Faust | Rating: 71.76
In 2018, Jacob “Faust” Fischer became more well-known after a huge upset over PewPewU at EGLX 2018. But let’s be real: the “more well-known” part does quite a bit of heavy lifting. If you didn’t have your nose to the scene or you weren’t Canadian, chances are that the name “Faust” was just Melee trivia. That’s changed nowadays thanks to Faust’s breakout 2023. His Big House 11 weekend alone earned him wins over Colbol, Spark, Ginger, and, most impressively Jmook.
Although it seems like Faust came out of nowhere (apparently twice), the opposite is true. In fact, Faust’s been one of the most active tourney grinders of this decade, having practically entered online tourneys every week during the pandemic. Since the return of SSBMRank in 2022, he’s gone to locals, Northeast regionals, West Coast majors, and even France to compete. Though his ascendance may look sudden, the truth is that it’s been a long time coming for the one player whose presence speaks to a belief in community, as well as a dedication to play anyone, any time, and anywhere.
-Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi
#37: n0ne | Rating: 72.10
Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby started the season off strong with an impressive ninth place at Genesis 9, taking a hard fought win over Fiction on the way. The showing nicely paralleled his excellent performance at Genesis 8 the year prior as well. But after missing the summer Top 50, it seemed like n0ne was on his way out from the forefront of the scene. And yet in typical n0ne fashion, he’d break this slump with a series of strong performances.
It didn’t take long before he got back in competing shape, respectively grabbing wins over Ossify and Junebug at Riptide 2023 and The Big House 11. He’d then have his best performance at Luminosity Makes Moves Miami, where he took sets over Salt and Bbatts. Funnily enough, however, the biggest sign that n0ne was due for rebound happened in a set that didn’t count for SSBMRank: a show match vs. Zain at The Off-Season 2, which n0ne won, 3–2. If that’s any sign, n0ne could be on the verge of a massive 2024.
-Darren “krakhead” Lynch
#36: Bbatts | Rating: 74.03
It is practically impossible to engage with Melee online without running into William “Bbatts” Batista. Whether he’s busy trolling Ganondorf mains on Twitter or sharing absolutely disgusting combos in a Discord, Bbatts has become a darling figure within the Melee community. Anyone who’s seen him on Fourside Fights can attest to how he’s arguably the funniest person in the whole scene.
Lest you think Bbatts is merely a charming personality, take a look at his results. Along with boasting a set in the year over KoDoRiN, Bbatts had an amazing top eight run at Riptide 2023, where he beat Zamu, Magi, and Aklo. As of right now, he’s the fourth-ranked player in New York City, joining a small group of players to ever finish in the top five of one of Melee’s most historic regions. The fact that Bbatts has an infectious and winning smile makes his rise that much more of a treat to witness.
-Hank Strandberg
#35: Ossify | Rating: 74.23
In March, you could be forgiven for not knowing Dillon “Ossify” Duhalde, a longtime hidden boss of Michigan. By September, however, Ossify had started to go from “hidden boss” to “final boss,” even outshining longtime state legends like KJH and Ginger on Michigan soil. That same month, and on his turf at BODIED 5, Ossify would find himself in loser’s bracket facing a gauntlet of Top 50 players, including Morsecode762, Ben, Zuppy, and several others. Not only did he win the whole event — he dropped just four games.
Fast forward to The Big House 11, where Ossify faces Zain. The set is absolute electricity, preserved in the netherrealms of Jackzilla’s hand-cam footage, with tragically muted commentary by Slime and Blur. Hundreds of on-lookers crowd the setup and lose their minds when Ossify goes up 2–0, only to see their hearts broken when the fully-sweating defending world #1 clutches out a reverse 3–0. But for how long can Ossify be contained? With Cody Schwab lately coming to town, and a future of even more top-level practice, Michigan’s latest #1 may just prove that he’s always been exactly where he needs to be.
-Jacob “chroma” Robins
#34: KJH | Rating: 74.28
Believe it or not, the list of players who have been able to maintain Fox and Falco at the highest level is surprisingly short. However, over the last year, Kalindi “KJH” Henderson has done more than enough to create his own path and leave his mark on both characters. 2023 marked an undeniable step forward for both spacies, with his Falco most notably defeating Chem and Fiction and his Fox beating KoDoRiN and Krudo.
At the same time, tournament results don’t really capture what makes KJH so special. That would be his involvement with his regional scene, his efforts as a coach, and his incredible educational content. When he’s not duking it out with his Michigan rival Ossify, KJH is working with all levels of players to help improve their understanding of the game or he’s releasing Uncle Punch-related training content for aspiring spacies players on Mang0’s own Patreon. When your local scene, your students, and the greatest of all-time each see something special in you, it’s a good sign that you’re doing something right.
-Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi
#33: Swift | Rating: 75.14
Dan “Swift” Petruso often enjoys learning about the game more than competing. It’s one of the reasons you can sometimes randomly find him in a supermajor venue, despite not seeing his name in the actual bracket. However, don’t be fooled by Swift’s penchant for suddenly playing Pichu or fooling around at regionals. When he’s dialed in, he’s one of the most terrifying opponents anyone could run into. Along with boasting early sets in the ranking period over SFOP and Magi, Swift had an exceptional run to top eight at LACS 5, tearing through the open bracket qualifier and group stages with wins on Zamu, Joshman, and Soonsay.
Another interesting turn in Swift’s career has been his involvement behind-the-scenes, where he’s been working with community leaders to establish a new controller rule set. Whether or not we see him continuing to compete in tournaments, Swift will remain an important figure in Melee; someone whose influence goes above tournament results and could shape the future of the game itself.
-Hank Strandberg
#32: Panda | Rating: 76.55
In the vaunted region of Central Florida, four players have held the number one spot on the power rankings in the eight years they’ve been active: Hungrybox, Plup, Forrest and, for the past three years, Brandon “Panda” Orooji. Boasting an explosive Fox that any smart player should fear, he’s ruled his region with an iron fist and taken his game to a whole new level over the last year.
Sheik players are more than familiar with Panda, as many of them, including his frequent sparring partner Krudo, understand the feeling of watching their hearts sink upon seeing his name in bracket. Just ask Spark, who Panda defeated at two consecutive majors. Far from being a specialist in just one matchup, Panda’s broken plenty of other hearts too, scoring wins over Axe’s Pikachu and KJH’s Falco. Unbelievably, however, none of these would be Panda’s biggest win of the year; that would be his incredible game 5, come-from-behind-win at CEO 2023 over Hungrybox, a longtime nemesis whose shadow once lurked over the rest of Central Florida. By outclutching the Clutchgod in a single set, Panda briefly showed the world that there was a new king of CFL.
-Zane “epengu” Bhansali
#31: Krudo | Rating: 769.96
A sign that you’ve been playing too much Melee is running into Kyle Krudo on Slippi. Krudo is a beast encountered past midnight, much like the Persona boss “The Reaper,” a looming threat for those who linger on dungeons for too long. Powered by the mysterious Orlando waters, Krudo’s been propelled into the zeitgeist as the one player who is always down to collect the souls of those who run into him. In recent times, he’s become an established giant of the historic Central Florida scene, with himself and Panda having some of the most entertaining Sheik-Fox sets you’ll find at any local.
Krudo’s also had a dab hand for beating strong opposition outside out of his region. Early in 2023, he took home the gold at Creed II over Chem, only to top that later in the year with additional wins over Axe, Joshman, and Ossify. A woe to players who may have once only heard legends, Krudo has become Melee’s very own bogeyman.
-Michael “Wills” Wills
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
