To watch the full Top 50, including the reveal of the Top 10, in video form, check out the PGstats YouTube below:
Now, without further ado, the Top 10 players in Europe for the PGRU v3 period:
By Alexandre “DrPuppet” Weber
Marcel “quiK” Romagnuolo started his comeback from a short hiatus in 2021. He immediately reminded the world of just how his Samus can schmoove at his return to major competition at Let’s Make Big Moves, where he put together a 9th place finish only losing to Dabuz and Kola. Let’s Make Big Moves was outside of this ranking period, but it marked the start of a series of tournament attendances that helped quiK reignite his fire for competition.
quiK strived this year to come back to the top of the rankings and prove how good he can be. And boy did he show how good he can play. A 7th place finish at Glory 2.0 in early March, with losses to Tarik and Mr.R only served as motivation. After Glory, quiK didn’t place below second again until DATEV Ultimate Series #3 in May.
quiK’s season was defined by rivalries with the two players standing in his way in Germany: Tarik, who finally broke through against quiK at Glory, and DarkThunder. quiK’s rivalry with DarkThunder had its inception back at quiK’s return from hiatus in October 2021 at TGM Brawl Unlimited, a Game 10-last stock set that has defined the tone of their matchup ever since. If quiK lost a tournament in that run of Top 2 finishes between Glory and DATEV 3, it was because he lost to DarkThunder. Still, even at tournaments where DarkThunder denied him glory, quiK was able to pick up impressive wins, like at Rise of PPT where he took down Larry Lurr.
quiK is not new to winning major European Smash tournaments, but prior to Smash Contest: DoKomi 2022, he was yet to add to his trophy case in Smash Ultimate. At Germany’s biggest major of the year, quiK didn’t just rectify that situation. He was also able to take down his two biggest German rivals, dispatching DarkThunder and defeating Tarik twice despite a bracket reset. quiK may be 10th on the PGRU right now, but this is a mere snapshot of what he is capable of, and his current level of play just might be the best of his career.
By Thomas "Lyamarth" Kammerlander
Sem “Supahsemmie” J. is probably the best player in Europe who frequently flies under the radar. Only when he attends a tournament outside of the Netherlands people are reminded of how strong the current #2 of the Dutch PR actually is. After a four-month break, he began regularly attending events again in his home country in March just as the PGRU season started but ended his season early in May to focus on his studies and exams.
Supahsemmie was able to pack some impressive results into this short timeframe: He attended five national events of which he won two. He placed second in another two and third once, only ever losing to Mr.R and Space aside from an unexpected early loss to WhYYZ. That, by the way, led to an 8 set losers run, ending in second place against Mr.R at Esports Game Arena: FN-XL. His biggest rival in the Netherlands is Inkling player Space, with whom he ended the current season with an even set count (3-3) but won out overall in terms of placements.
Supahsemmie was also victorious when the two unfortunately met at his best overall and only out of country performance at Boss Battles: For Glory in England. Aside from his fellow countryman, Supahsemmie managed to defeat players like Tarik, Peli, and Streakz and ended up in 5th place, losing to Bloom4Eva and Nitox. You better keep your eyes on him, for Netherland’s Young Link is ready to take sets off of the best players in Europe whenever he makes one of his rare out of country appearances!
Thomas “Oryon” Scalese is one of the players who has always been highly regarded by the European and world scenes. His consistency and regularity make him a solid competitive player and respected by his peers. Now able to travel more regularly thanks to his Oplon sponsorship, Oryon has been able to gradually pick up experience and improve his position on the European rankings.
Oryon is considered the best of his main Wolf and also his secondary Dr. Mario by all of the French community thanks to his strong results. Oryon was able to push them to their best potential to allow him to force his opponents to their limits and cover as many matchups and play styles as possible.
His recent results show his consistency with a 5th at DOSE2SEL and 4th at Wanted: Free Agent Edition to go with his wins on iStudying, Tarik, Raflow and VinS. Perhaps the most impressive result of Oryon’s season, though, was his 13th place at Genesis 8, a placing he only attained after winning five straight sets in losers, including victories over skittles, Gackt and Raflow. Oryon was one of just three Europeans in Top 16 at Genesis 8, joining Glutonny and Sisqui, showing his well-deserved place in the upper ranks of the PGRU EU.
By Thomas "Lyamarth" Kammerlander
What would a European Smash power ranking be without the Dutch veteran Ramin “Mr. R” Delshad placing in its top ranks? And yet, Europe seemed to have started to doubt his status as one of the best players of the continent just a little after a few less impressive placements at the start of the year. That just turned out to be all the more reason for the Chrom and Sheik co-main to prove them wrong, finishing in the Top 8 of every major tournament he entered while always outplacing his seed.
Mr. R started his season with a 5th place at Glory 2.0 where he was double eliminated by top French Roy player Flow. He would immediately get his revenge at Wanted S4 C4, beating Flow and finishing with another 5th place. After winning two Dutch Nationals, Mr. R finished the season with a 4th place at Boss Battles: For Glory and a 7th place at Wanted S5 C1.
With wins on players like Supahsemmie, quiK, Space, OwlBBs, Mezcaul and many more, the current #1 of the Dutch PR has once again silenced his doubters and proven himself among the best in Europe. His bracket demon was French Lucas player Nitox, who beat him in both their encounters. Unfortunately, Mr. R is still unable to travel to the US due to visa complications. In the meantime, he aims to consistently place in the Top 3 at future European events and prove that he is still one of the best in the world.
By Maurice "yung aegi" Schweers
As the highest placing German on the ranking, “Tarik” Fayazi comes in sixth place. The best pilot of both Greninja and Kazuya in the whole continent, Tarik continues to amaze the international crowds with his explosive punish game and patient neutral game.
Tarik’s season could be described as almost flawless, with top 3 placements across the board at bigger tournaments as well as wins against some of the best players in the world. He was nearly untouchable in Germany, including a 1st place finish at RCADIA SMASH 2 and a 2nd place finish at Smash Contest: DoKomi 2022, only losing to fellow top 10 member quiK. He has also shown his potential in other European nations such as Spain, where he got 2nd at Glory 2.0, beating Raflow, quiK, PeW and Leon.
However, his list of wins does not stop there. He has beaten practically every German top player including quiK, Tru4, Ente and DarkThunder while also beating plenty of other EU talent on his frequent visits to other countries. On top of his French victims mentioned earlier, Tarik has taken down many of the UK’s best as well, including eMass, OwlBBs and CurryGovernor.
While Tarik has claimed the title of highest-ranking German on the PGRU EU for now, his rivalry with quiK will be a storyline to look out for as both fight for the spot as the best German representative in Europe and the world.
Nassim ''Leon'' Laïb boasts one of the longest careers in the French Smash scene. Long recognized as one of the best Marth players in brawl, in Ultimate he chose to make a career with Lucina. That decision has paid off, as he was able to reach another career milestone last August when he joined Solary.
His already impressive level of performance has only become stronger since. At last year’s Vienna Challenger’s Arena, one of the year’s final majors, he finished third to Peli and Glutonny. He picked up in 2022 where he left off in 2021, finishing 4th at Wanted: Free Agent Edition, 3rd at Glory 2.0 in Barcelona, and he ended the season by winning Stunfest to finish on a high note.
Leon was a constant at French events this season and picked up wins on just about every French top player, with a hit list that includes Neeroz, Flow, Homika, Oryon and Ogey. He was able to get other wins on top European stars like Sisqui as well. After all this time, Leon remains one of France’s most solid and consistent players. Even with new top level competition like Raflow on the scene, Leon remains in the conversation for the title of second best in France behind Glutonny and should be considered a lock for any European rankings as long as he plays the game.
When it comes to competition with Leon for the title of second behind Glutonny in France, Arda ''Raflow'' Imrek is undoubtedly the best contender. Beginning his career in online tournaments, he gradually solidified himself by changing characters from Fox to Palutena. Showing immense potential from an extremely early point in his career, he became the first French player to have knocked down Glutonny at a tournament of at least 100 players at Dojo #7 in October 2021.
Since then, he has only asserted his strength. His best results have come at French regionals like Wanted: Free Agent Edition and all three DOSE2SEL monthlies, all of which he won, and Wanted: All Star, where he’d finished 2nd.
He already has wins over the majority of French and European top players, a list that includes Leon, Mr.R and Space. Recently at Kings of Fields #2, Raflow went on one of his best runs yet, beating Leon, Sisqui, Glutonny and Maister before falling to MkLeo for second place. Despite the strength of the competition in France, Raflow has established himself as the country’s second best player, and a strong contender for Glutonny’s future throne.
When Oliver “Bloom4Eva” Alexander turned up to his first local in 2019 on his 14th birthday and beat one of the stronger players in his home region of East England, we all knew that he was on the path to greatness. But what caught everyone in the UK - and indeed Europe - off guard was just how great he would become.
Whilst originally opting to play any character he felt like in bracket, Bloom made the decision during the pandemic to focus on Bayonetta as a main character, and he’s gone from strength to strength since. Fast-forward to today, and Bloom4Eva is unquestionably the best player in the United Kingdom despite some world-class competition.
Despite winning nearly every tournament in the nation regardless of who was in attendance, Bloom was sometimes seen as ‘untested’ by the rest of Europe, having never left the country to compete. Needless to say, His performances this season speak for themselves, winning BOSS BATTLES undefeated with wins over established top contender Sisqui in both Winners and Grand finals. He also defeated Tarik and Luugi on his way to a 1st place finish at Invasion: April.
But of course, we would be missing a crucial part of the story if we didn’t mention COLOSSEL. Whilst the event happened outside of this PGR season, Bloom got himself off to an incredible start for the PGRU v4 season at his very first out-of-country tournament, placing 4th out of over 1000 entrants, being the highest placing European at the event and defeating the French hero Glutonny to get there. Whilst 3rd is an incredible placement in the eyes of many, know that Bloom4Eva is aiming even higher next season and it’s within his grasp.
Editor's note: The inclusion of Double Down on Bloom4Eva's player card was just for information, as Double Down was not part of the ranking period for the PGRU v3. It will be included as part of the PGRU v4 rankings.
Pau "Sisqui'' Caire, the world's best Dark Samus, continues his adventure to the top of Europe with a fantastic performance this season. Sisqui finished his strong 2021 with a lot of ambition to improve in 2022. He really wanted to work harder than he did last season, and he made sure to keep his word by improving and beating not only the best European players again, but also some new faces of the best Ultimate players from across the globe.
Sisqui's resume is longer and more prestigious than the one from his breakout 2021 season. He started 2022 placing well at tournaments across the continent, eventually able to pick up a win at WANTED: All Star Edition in France in May. Along the way this season, he beat a huge list of great players, including Raflow, Oryon, Mr. E, Homika, NaetorU, Bluesky, Ogey, eMass, Flow, Noxumbra and TriM.
He also won some minor tournaments in Spain, but couldn’t continue his dominance at the biggest Spanish tournament of the year, as he finished 9th at Glory 2.0. Despite the setback, Sisqui has proven to everyone that he has no limits and it's only a matter of time until he gets redemption at a major tournament in his home country.
The biggest reason to believe in that forthcoming redemption is his amazing performance in North America. Sisqui earned not one but two Top 12 placements at North American majors, taking 9th place at Genesis 8 with wins over Big D and MVD and 7th place at Battle of BC 4 with wins against ESAM and Cosmos, victories and placements that clearly establish himself as one of Europe’s greatest players. But no matter how much he improves, Sisqui’s ambition will never wane, and he will strive to be the very best of Europe for the next season.
Finally, William “Glutonny” Belaïd remains once again the best European player. Despite a rather weak presence in French tournaments by his standards, the Frenchman has often traveled to the United States to shake the majors across the Atlantic.
The competition in Europe is increasing to the point where it isn’t so rare that at a French tournament, Glutonny doesn’t finish 1st. But Glutonny’s results on the world’s stage left no doubt as to his position as Europe’s best player. After a 2021 that included his best ever international result with a 2nd place at CEO 2021, Glutonny reached a new level in 2022. Not only did he become the first European to take out the best player in the world, MkLeo, he also became the first to take down Sparg0. His historic win at Pound 2022 as well as his 2nd place at Genesis 8 show that Glutonny is stronger than ever.
His recent results at North American majors show that despite the emergence of new challengers in Europe, Glutonny remains unquestionably the continent’s strongest player. For the first time in Ultimate’s history, Glutonny has a claim to be not just Europe’s best, but one of the world’s best. He may not quite be able to wrest that title from the likes of MkLeo or Sparg0 yet, but given how much he has improved in just the last six months, who’s to say he stops here?
Thanks for reading the reveal of the PGRU v3 Europe! The PGRU season continues later today with the reveal of the PGRU v3 North America Top 10. Glutonny is just one of a few eligible European players who traveled to North America enough to make both lists, so make sure to tune in to the channel this afternoon to see how he placed.
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