Part 1 will cover the 19 players who were voted in to the B and C tiers of the North American MPGR Contenders Tier List. These are among the top threats our assembled panel of experts expects to compete for high rankings on the next MPGR. The Melee NA ranking will continue Thursday with the 11 players voted into the S+, S and A tiers.
One player did not appear on enough ballots to qualify for this list despite having a high average score on the ballots on which he appeared:
By Brent "Brentos" Vickers
Unfortunately, Albert’s best placements this year were marred with a lack of top 8 finishes excluding Low Tide City where he placed 7th. He also suffered a particularly heartbreaking 3-0 by SFAT at Mainstage to place him in 9th and just outside of top 8. A string of 9th place finishes isn’t what Albert has his mind set on, and with a competitor’s mentality rivaled by few in the Melee community, Albert’s rise is not one you’re going to want to miss.
In 2020, a year when many top Sheiks went into hibernation, Ben “Ben” Strandmark emerged as the heir apparent to the Sheik throne. With wins over top talent like Ginger, S2J, n0ne, iBDW, and Hungrybox, Ben’s 2021 was highly anticipated.
After making a big statement at Hold That L, Ben got his chance at the biggest win of his offline career when he met Hungrybox at Riptide. Before Riptide, the pair had previously played 11 sets, with Ben having the edge with a positive record of 8-3. Demonstrating a masterful understanding of aerial and needle spacing, Ben pushed the current best player in the world to his limits. Unfortunately for Ben, Hungrybox would prove to be too powerful, and he was defeated 3-2.
Though he may have left Ohio without his first top 10 win, Ben wouldn’t have to wait long for another chance as he bested Wizzrobe 3-2 at the SWT NA East Regional Finals just a month later.
In 2021, Ben made a strong case for himself as being one of the best Sheiks in the country, and if he can continue to rack up further top 10 wins and place well at majors, then the world may very well see the ascension of the next big Sheik player.
By Jack "Jackie Peanuts" Moore
It was almost impossible to know what to expect from Colbol heading into the Smash World Tour Championships in December. Obviously, Colbol had made his name prior to lockdown, ranking on every MPGR since its inception as SSBMrank and peaking at 10th in 2014. But Colbol hadn't entered a tournament of 50 or more players since April.
Colbol would go off at the Smash World Tour Championships, notching one of his best weekends in years. At the LCQ, he qualified through winners side, dispatching Drephen, Ginger and TheSWOOPER in the process. Not done yet, Colbol picked up wins over Spark, Chape and Fiction to reach all the way to 13th place at the main event, outplacing the likes of Mew2King, Fiction, SFAT and Axe.
By Jack "Kezzup" McDonald
Armada’s retirement in 2018 has been followed by multiple years of furious arguments regarding who is the new best Peach player in the world. Many have the skills and the results to wear the crown, but no conversation on the topic is complete without including Kyle “Kalamazhu” Zhu, whose incredible punish game is very reminiscent of the former best player in the world.
Kalamazhu had a relatively quiet 2021; his major results include 7th at the SWT: NA West Melee Regional Finals, 17th at The Smash World Tour 2021 Championships, and 25th at Mainstage 2021. Despite the limited attendance, he notched wins over Gahtzu and Tai, proving that he’s still a contender who can take down a multitude of top players.
With fellow Peach players like Polish and lloD also proving that they can consistently garner top level results, it will be interesting to see how Kalamazhu measures up to them in 2022. Kalamazhu is no doubt a top level competitor, and it would be foolish to sleep on him coming into next year.
By Jack "Jackie Peanuts" Moore
Few people saw their 2020 grind pay off like Logan, who decided to stick with Melee for the year and came away from it a ridiculous 35-35 against the Top 100. Logan was able to keep up the performance as the offline scene returned, racking up two set wins at their first Summit and Top 8s at both Riptide and Super Smash Con: Fall Fest. After it almost came to an abrupt end, it turns out Logan's story has just begun.
By Jack "Kezzup" McDonald
It’s safe to say that Joey “Lucky” Aldama has cemented himself in Melee history as more than just Mango’s friend - despite what his sponsor tag might say. The fast and furious orange Fox from Southern California has notched quite a few notable tournament runs over the years, even if 2021 was something of a down year for him.
At Low Tide City 2021, an upset by local Jigglypuff main Palpa contributed heavily to a 17th place finish. Mainstage 2021 proved much better for Lucky, with wins over Faceroll, Kalamazhu, and Bladewise propelling him to 9th place - however, with no other major tournament results to rely on, it’s hard to judge what this means for Lucky’s future in Melee. In an era where newer players are improving at a quicker rate than ever before, veteran players like Lucky have to work even harder to maintain their status among Melee’s top echelon.
By Brent "Brentos" Vickers
Medz, the ancient Arizona Fox always second to Axe on the Arizona PR, pulled out his Marth in tournament against BobbyBigBallz (BBB) inspiring a rage clip heard round the world. Just a few days after the clip went viral, Medz went all Marth in a first-to-five grudge match against BBB and won 5-4. And thus with the swing of his sword, Arizona’s #1 player silenced his haters. You read that right: #1 in Arizona over Axe.
Medz had a phenomenal year. Not only did he claim #1 in his state for the first time in who knows how many years, but he had solid placement after solid placement. The dual Marth and Fox main had a monster run at Mainstage, only losing to iBDW and SFAT to clinch a 9th place finish, and also managed to top 8 at SWT NA WEST. At 29, Medz might already be an old man to some - but no matter how old Medz is, he isn’t going anywhere, and 2022 has big things in store for him if this momentum continues into his actual thirties.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
For those new era players who have never suffered the peculiar joy of being wobbled, don’t worry—chances are, if you run into SluG in your pools match, you’ll get just about the same whooping, just with a heaving spoonful of style. SluG’s proficiency with handoffs and desync-based mixups make a single grab look almost as lethal as the old days.
In October, a win over Logan led SluG to a 5th place finish at Super Smash Con: Fall Fest. However, an unfortunate bracket draw meant SluG was double eliminated by NoFluxes’s Ganondorf, denied the chance to test his mettle against the tournament’s best competition. SluG’s revenge came at Mainstage. After an early exit to Losers Bracket, SluG ran over Umarth, Dimension, Panda, and Drephen to come face to face with one of the most notorious Icies haters there is: n0ne. The Triforce of Power may have stymied Slug in the past, but after going up on n0ne’s Falcon, he was able to best the Ganondorf counterpick in a manner that ensured no one was tweeting mid-set this time around.
The life of an Ice Climbers is an uncertain one; aside from Ganon, SluG has to pray that there are no Peaches in any given bracket to cut short a run. But in a fallow era for Ice Climbers, SluG has managed to keep the character alive and kicking, ensuring Melee’s most polarizing duo is still a threat on the national stage.
Though he only began competing internationally again at the tail-end of 2021, Joshua “Sora” Lyras made the most of his opportunity to travel.
The Australian native received the chance of a lifetime when he was voted into Smash Summit 12, and while he may have placed 13th at his first major since Genesis 7, wins over Ginger and null and a bevy of game 5 sets made it clear that Oceania’s talent should not go ignored.
Just eight days after Smash Summit 12, Sora made a quick turnaround to enter the Smash World Tour Championships. He may have ended up 17th, but Sora didn’t leave Orlando empty-handed. Instead, he’ll return home with a phenomenal win over the pride of Arizona, Axe.
Sora opted to remain in the U.S. to get a headstart for 2022 with Genesis, but those plans were impeded with the event's cancellation. However, Sora’s North American fans may not have to wait long for his return because, when asked about his goals for 2022, Sora responded with how he wants to “move to either the U.S or Canada,” and “give Melee a fair crack.” After a downright amazing international breakout, the doors for success seem wide open for Sora.
By Anokh "Edwin" Palakurthi
Three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes, and Zamu attending a big Melee tournament. In the last four months of 2021, Zamu went to Hold That L #6 in Illinois, Riptide in Ohio, the Trail Invitational in Massachusetts, Low Tide City in Texas, the Smash World Tour NA East Finals in Maryland, Mainstage 2021 in California, and the Smash World Tour Championships in Florida. If a notable enough tournament were to happen outdoors in the Yukon, Zamu would probably find his inner Jack London, pack his bags, and make Top 32 winners’ side.
When you enter a ton of events, naturally you’re bound to get at least one signature win. The thing is, Zamu tends to beat good players. A lot. In fact, this happens at nearly every event he attends. Gahtzu, Magi, Logan, Jflex, bobby big ballz - name someone with a big fanbase and chances are that they’ve lost or been taken to the limit by Zamu. Or, to put it more accurately, they ran into another rising star whose dedication to the game still somehow flies under the radar and yet seems more inspiring than ever.
Aklo’s meteoric rise may have only been in its infancy before the pandemic, but he had already begun crafting an impressive resume of wins over some of the Big Apple's best like Captain Smuckers, Ryobeat, TheSWOOPER, Rishi, and 2saint. This is all especially impressive when one considers that nearly all of New York’s top players are established veterans of many nationals, whereas Aklo, before 2021, had never even attended one himself.
However, it was during the offseason that Aklo really began to come into his own, as he began to accrue wins over players from around the world such as Ginger, Axe, moky, and Hungrybox.
Needless to say, Aklo was considered one of Melee’s biggest prospects going into 2021, and for the first time in his career, he would finally get the chance to test himself against the world’s best at his first ever major, Smash Summit 11. Aklo brought all he could give, but, unfortunately ended up placing 13th with his only set win of the tournament coming against Axe.
However, Aklo would place much better at the next two majors he attended: he placed seventh at SWT: NA East Melee Regional Finals and 9th at The Smash World Tour Championships while also scoring wins over Zamu, Ginger, n0ne, and SFAT.
If 2021 was any indicator of how well Aklo could perform against some of the world’s best, then 2022 could be the year where he could count his place among them.
By Jack "Kezzup" McDonald
In a year where multiple players made remarkable improvements with the relatively underplayed Pikachu, Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson continued to prove why he’s still the best of them all, even if the year provided a few road bumps for a player with major-winning level of talent.
A long-time veteran of the Melee scene, Axe still has a strong presence at tournaments, placing 2nd at Low Tide City 2021 and 7th at Smash Summit 11. His most astounding tournament run came at Riptide, where after losing to Secrets in Round 1 pools, Axe proceeded to win 10 sets in a row, including victories over Logan and Zamu, on his way to a 5th place finish.
Axe continued to pose himself as a top level threat for the rest of the year, picking up further wins at major events over the likes of aMSa, KoDoRiN, Faceroll, and 2saint. Axe may have underachieved relative to his past success in 2021, but with further innovations to Pikachu’s gameplay being developed by the community, it will be exciting to see where Axe is able to take the character, along with his results, heading into 2022.
By Jack "Kezzup" McDonald
With so much up-and-coming talent in the Melee scene competing tirelessly to cement their status, it is commendable in its own right to see players who make every one of their sparse tournament appearances count. One of those most notable examples of this is Griffin “Faceroll” Williams, the patient Sheik from Southern California with only three major tournament appearances on the year.
But Faceroll’s results speak for themselves - after an understated 17th at Mainstage 2021 with wins over KJH and Jflex, Faceroll amazed many with a 3rd place finish at the SWT: NA West Melee Regional Finals, claiming wins over KoDoRiN, Kalamazhu, Medz, Fiction, and Albert along the way. He then topped his year off with 7th place at the Smash World Tour 2021 Championships themselves, boasting wins over Sora and Magi while picking up more victories over KoDoRiN and Kalamazhu.
There’s no telling when and where Faceroll will show up, but when he competes, he is always a force to be reckoned with.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
Fiction’s switch to Falco may have raised questions for those who have long known the SoCal stalwart for his Fox and occasional Marth play. But no matter if you doubt Fiction - he’s his own biggest believer, whether it comes to his own skill or the potential of his new main.
The only thing that rivals Fiction’s confidence may be his patience, which has birthed a methodical Falco style that truly capitalizes on the bird’s ability to dictate the pace of the match. To hear Fiction tell it, any moment when the opponent escapes the domineering reach of his lasers is a personal failure, and any losses to Sheik or Marth are simply momentary setbacks - the Fiction of tomorrow will come better equipped and ready to dominate.
That patience also contributes to Fiction’s astonishing work ethic, whether it be his permanent attendance at Verdugo or the hours of work he puts in coaching players and practicing on stream. A pair of 17th place finishes at Mainstage and the SWT finals may not reflect the heights Fiction aspires to, but if you want to see his skill yourself, all you’ve got to do is flick on the Verdugo stream on Monday. Every week, you can watch Fiction grinding away, pinning his opponents in place, and maybe you’ll feel the future of Falco he promises is closer than we think.
By Brent "Brentos" Vickers
An originator of the 20GX movement along with Wizzrobe and Gravy ,Gahtzu has consistently been underrated and flown under the radar. In 2021, Gahtzu sought out to change that story, and change it he did.
Adopting a playstyle all his own, Gahtzu wowed melee spectators of all backgrounds, ages, and longevity in the scene. In fact, he even managed to snag top 8 finishes at Low Tide City and SWT NA East, while narrowly missing top 8 with a 9th place finish at Riptide. From explosive, unique combos, to calculated tech-chases, Gahtzu has solidified his place as the 4th best Captain Falcon main in the world. Be on the lookout for him - his climb is still going at a rapid pace.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
If you ever want to learn the hardest way to beat Marth as Peach, go watch a lloD set. It can be any Marth - KoDoRin, who he 3-0d at the Smash World Tour Championships, or his old MDVA foe Zain, or of course his brother Rishi. Whatever the Marth, watch and marvel at lloD, weaving in and out with dashdances, spacing just-so around the largest threat zones in the game: beating the Marth at their own game.
Granted, lloD’s had a consistent Marth training partner since about the time he could walk, but this is the way he plays all of his matchups. Rishi, blessed with fraternal insight, once said that lloD “doesn’t play like a Peach player—he uses Peach’s tools to outplay his opponents at their gameplan.” lloD himself has bemoaned his seemingly lopsided skill for Peach’s advanced tools, such as subfloats and double jump lands, over the “easy stuff.”
But lloD’s unique approach guarantees that as long as his fundamentals are on point, he can play the game that he wants to play. That’s a valuable asset for someone who’s splitting his time between Melee and med school. At times, Polish, Trif, and lloD all look like they could lay claim to the title of best Peach. Only one of them, though, will come out of this with an MD.
Melee’s favorite Southern belle Sasha "Magi" Sullivan left an indelible impression in her return to offline competition.
For starters, she managed to place within the top eight at two of the five majors she attended last year. Magi also notched one of the biggest wins of her career at Smash Summit 12 by edging out Wizzrobe in a tight game five set. This marked her first top 10 win in nearly three years since Genesis 6, where she beat Mang0.
Despite a few substandard losses here and there, Magi’s consistency was fantastic, and, by the end of the year, she was able to boast a plethora of wins over top talent such as Zamu, Gahtzu, Ginger, and SFAT.
2021 could be considered the most productive year in Magi’s career. But she’s not done yet —with a new sponsor to support her and a laser barrel full of determination, 2022 could be the year where Magi shines brightest.
By Jack "Kezzup" McDonald
One of Canada’s finest, one of the most electrifying Captain Falcon players in Melee, a man of many facets - Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby is among the most compelling players modern Melee has to offer, and he makes it known at every tournament he competes in.
Despite travel distance, n0ne was present at multiple large tournaments in 2021 - he managed placings such as 7th at Smash Summit 11, 9th at the SWT: NA East Melee Regional Finals, and 17th at Mainstage 2021. Along the way, n0ne took down fierce competitors like Wizzrobe, KoDoRiN, Aklo, Magi, and Ben.
With a bevy of major tournaments set to return in full force in 2022, n0ne should have plenty of opportunities to show off why he’s still one of the top Captain Falcon players in the game.
By Jack "Jackie Peanuts" Moore
Captain Falcon is enjoying a golden age, and that would be unimaginable without Johnny "S2J" Kim. One of the most consistent players in Melee history, S2J kept it up across an incredibly active 2021, recording losing set counts against just four of the 43 players against whom he played multiple sets in the PGstats.com database: Zain, iBDW, Fiction and 2Saint.
Offline, S2J ended in the Top 8 at all 3 big events he attended, placing sixth at the SWT: NA West Regional Finals and seventh at both Low Tide City 2021 and Mainstage 2021. The Mainstage run in particular highlights S2J's continued place in Melee's upper echelon, as he took out Lucky and n0ne en route to Top 8'ing SoCal Melee's biggest event ever over a decade after his career began there.
Also, lest we forget: S2J remains a doubles master. After winning the final doubles tournament he entered prior to lockdown aside Lucky at DreamHack Anaheim 2020, he took the crown at Mainstage 2021 alongside longtime partner Shroomed, a pairing that has been bringing home trophies for years. It may be the format that has suffered the most from lockdown, but wherever doubles is played, watch out for S2J.
