SSBMRank 2023: 70–61
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.
#70: Free Palestine | Rating: 48.77
In today’s metagame, chances are that you’ve seen a player switch characters or even controllers mid-set, but rarely will you ever find someone who switches between multiple characters and multiple controllers. If you have, you must already be familiar with Anees “Free Palestine” Assaf, a competitor who had one the most unique counterpick setups last year. Having wielded two separate GameCube controllers for Sheik, Marth, and a pocket Donkey Kong, as well as briefly experimenting with a Frame1 for his Fox, the longtime Columbus legend ended 2023 with a résumé that reads like a Midwest hall of fame. He boasts sets over Drephen, Zamu, and Ossify, in addition to strong out of region wins versus MOF and Mot$, which came at The Big House 11.
Within and outside the Smash community, Free Palestine has continued to advocate for Palestinians, frequently using his platform as a competitor to share information about the mass displacement that Palestinians experience, as well as sharing his own experiences as a Palestinian American. When asked to comment on his year, he said, “Thank you to the Melee community for giving me the time and space to speak about what’s going on in Palestine. Ceasefire now.”
-Seal
If you would like to support humanitarian efforts in Palestine, please consider donating to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund at https://www.pcrf.net/ and the Middle East Children’s Alliance at https://www.mecaforpeace.org/
#69: Kürv | Rating: 49.16
Don’t be fooled by his crude Start.gg tag; Christian “Kürv” Melendez is actually quite a good player. With another season of ending in the Top 10 on the SoCal Power Rankings, Kürv had begun to come into his own as a top competitor at the national level too. Starting with a 49th place showing at Genesis 9 — an event where he beat Chango— the California native would go onto achieve great success at regionals, with deep runs at DreamHack San Diego 2023 and Wavedash 2023. Even at the supermajor level, Kürv came within inches of defeating Mang0 in winner’s bracket of The Big House 11.
Kürv’s most impressive performance, however, actually happened close to home. In one of the most remarkable regional victories of 2023, he won Saving Mr. Lombardi 4 without dropping a set, defeating the likes of Lucky, Khalid, Fiction, and San Diego star Steech to reign supreme. Boasting a third straight appearance on an annual Top 100 and a record of consistent performances, it seems fair to say that Kürv will be here next year too.
-Hank Strandberg
#68: Panko | Rating: 50.07
Outwit, outplay, outlast: these three famous words from Jeff Probst influence Jordan “Panko” Kiser and define his approach to Melee. He set up his year at Warehouse War III, where he blindsided fellow Southerner Grab in a key “outwit,” then dispatching of billybopeep months later at The Big House 11, in a similarly impressive “outplay.” But to make the Top 100, he needed another million dollar play right before the end of the season. At Santa Paws, the Survivor aficionado pulled it off two stunning “Melee challenge” wins of his own, defeating Salt and Bbatts.
Surprisingly, however, this wasn’t the “outlast” part of Panko’s year. While it may have certainly stood out as his best national-level result, Panko’s most stunning achievement is breaking the once-eternal slump against Colbol. After countless tournaments, Panko finally outlasted his nemesis, doing what many Georgians could not: winning an event over Colbol. Parvati Shallow: takes notes from your biggest fan.
-Michael “Wills” Wills
#67: LAVITZ-01 | Rating: 50.49
LAVITZ-01 always had a keen eye for the lost arts of Melee. In addition to consistently entering doubles events with his teammate DannyPhantom, as well as making top eight in doubles at both Get On My Level 2023 and Super Smash Con 2023, LAVITZ-01 also wrote an entire guide on the format last year. But doubles isn’t the only part of the game that LAVITZ-01 deeply understands. His ability to consistently defeat mid-tier and low-tier characters is a rare skill, one which played a large role in 2023 being LAVITZ-01’s most successful year in singles.
For a long time, LAVITZ-01 had a well-earned reputation for beating Ice Climbers players. In the last year, however, he’s beaten players who have brought other obscure characters to the spotlight. Most notably, he defeated Mekk’s Ganondorf and Junebug’s Donkey Kong, also taking three consecutive sets over ckyulmiqnudaetr’s Donkey Kong. With additional wins versus Bbatts and Khryke, he had consistent performances throughout the year, earning himself a fifth appearance on the Top 100. Through succeeding in a variety of ways, LAVITZ-01 shows the value of appreciating the little things that make Melee special.
-Danny “s-f” Levy
#66: shabo | Rating: 51.60
The phrase “your favorite player’s favorite player,” may elicit several groans from many Melee players, and yet there is genuinely no one more worthy of this title than Lucas “shabo” Peña. From his days at Champaign locals in the late 2010s to now, he’s boasted an undeniably sick Fox that somehow manages to destroy Top 50 players in friendlies. If the results from this year show anything though, it’s that shabo can also do it when the chips are on the line.
Throughout the year, shabo excelled at Midwest regionals, usually making deep tourney runs and ending the year with sets over KJH and Ben. At one point, he even scored a win over Drephen at Riptide 2023, defeating the longtime Ohio giant in his own home state. Following his move to MD/VA, shabo ended the year by winning a Xanadu Legends monthly over mvlvchi and Khryke. Following years of hype, shabo continues to show many smashers why countless top players love (and fear) him.
-Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi
#65: Kevin Maples | Rating: 51.75
Anyone could tell you about the Top 100 Fox player Kevin Maples, the one who got 7th at The Function 3 by defeating Bbatts and double eliminating the legendary Swedish Delight. This is also the player who doesn’t have a single non-Top 100 loss at any major or large regional he’s been to this year. But the true story of Kevin Maples is the MD/VA superstar who chose to focus on building relationships with his local scene.
As his peers traveled across the United States, Kevin Maples routinely did tours of his locals across his region instead: Heavy Weather in Centreville, It’s Not You It’s Melee in Richmond, Xanadu in Laurel, BMW in Baltimore, GCDC in DC proper, Bring More Setups in Fairfax, Mutiny in College Park, Flip/Side in Leesburg, and many more. Snatching lopsided records against players like Junebug, Maelstrom, and mvlvchi, Kevin Maples was awarded with number 1 spot in MD/VA for all PR seasons in 2023. And yet if you asked Kevin what accomplishment he was most proud of, there’s a large chance he would gush about how he and his local partner eve finished in fifth place at The Big House 11 in doubles.
-Glenn “KayB” Kim
#64: Grab | Rating: 51.95
Following a slow start to the year, Dillon “Grab” Draper got right into shape, slicing and dicing opponents like Matteo, Faust, and Zamu, among others, throughout the rest of the season. In fact, one of Grab’s proudeest accolades had to be winning Luigi’s Mansion 2, held in Kentucky. You might shudder at a bracket filled with fun-killing, wacky characters; for Grab, it was another Saturday, as he’d dispatch Eddy Mexico twice to wear the crown from winner’s side.
Although Grab’s performances have made him notable, it’s his trademark post-tourney write-ups that have captured the hearts and minds of his followers. Above whatever you think about the long-held Marth main tradition of writing blog posts, or even disagreements you may have with Grab on controller legality, at the very least, he keeps it real. His posts are well-articulated, vulnerable, and they offer insight into the mind of a top player. Humble as he is determined, expect to see more writing (and fighting) on his Melee tapestry in the future.
-Michael “Wills” Wills
#63: Lucky | Rating: 53.07
Joey “Lucky” Aldama would admit that he’s lately dialed back his competitive efforts. In 2023, he leaned into a new role as Lucky The Entertainer, streaming on Mang0’s channel all the time and co-hosting their new podcast On A Tuesday. If you’ve ever listened to it, Lucky’s storytelling skills and wealth of anecdotes will stand out. Many of his best stories have happened over the last year, and the more you listen, the more you’ll realize that Lucky The Entertainer is still quite a good competitor.
Along with Lucky taking sets over the likes of Khalid, CPU0, billybopeep, and even S2J, a highlight of Lucky’s 2023 has been his unexpected role in a fierce rivalry between himself and Kürv. The way Lucky describes being insulted by the new-school Fox is with a mix of confusion and amusement, but Lucky would have the last laugh, ending the SSBMRank 2023 period with a 8–7 record over him. According to Lucky, he wants to take 2024 more seriously as a competitor as well as continue his podcasting efforts, so we could see him in the spotlight over the next year in multiple ways.
-Danny “s-f” Levy
#62: Jflex | Rating: 54.68
If having a Melee career is defined through strong tournament results, Jacob “Jflex” Pinto certainly has one, and he added to it in 2023 with wins over SDJ, Shroomed, and Krudo. But legacy goes beyond results — legacy is what you leave behind when you’re gone. Thanks to Jflex’s influence, his home state of New Jersey went from no Top 100 players to at least half the PR being nationally ranked each year. Every one of Tristate’s biggest stars has crossed paths or trained with Jflex — the biggest example being Cody Schwab, someone who Jflex constantly practiced against. In the process, Jflex forever shaped the future of the entire community.
Today, Tristate bids a Viking farewell to a father figure who has retired after a storied career, one that’s had a massive impact on the whole Melee landscape. With the setting of his proverbial boat ablaze, we’re reminded of the depth of Jflex’s influence, as well as the profound affection which New Jersey holds for him. On his arm, the state of New Jersey is immortalized in tattoo ink: a silent promise to never forget where he came from; a reminder that his legacy will last forever.
-Justin “DarkGenex” Cohen
#61: Palpa | Rating: 55.23
In 2023, Davis “Palpa” Scherer made a case to be called one of the best Jigglypuff players throughout the entire South. Kicking the year off with a bang by placing 33rd at Genesis 9 with wins over Faust and Frenzy, he finally broke a long stretch of not attending tournaments outside of Texas, while also defeating top international talent. He’d follow this up by stringing together a small plethora of respectable placements across various regionals across the country.
Far from these performances coming by virtue of easy brackets, Palpa would end the year with multiple wins over some of the best players in the United States. These include Magi, Mekk, and his home state rival SDJ, someone very familiar with Palpa’s deadly Fox secondary. With Palpa’s reputation as a Top 100 player firmly in place for yet another year, could 2024 be the year where he stakes his claim among the game’s utmost elite?
-Hank Strandberg
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
