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Phoenix Blue's top 50 Smash Bros Melee EU players
Who are the best Super Smash Bros Melee players in Europe? Find out as we reveal Phoenix Blue's power rankings.
Power rankings are a big deal in Super Smash Bros Melee. MGPR have already revealed the top Smash players in the world, but now it's time for the best European players to get their own moment in the spotlight as we unveil the Phoenix Blue Smash Bros Melee rankings.
For two months, Phoenix Blue – an event management and streaming production company which runs Smash Bros tournaments in Sweden – have been asking top players, casters and community members for their best Melee players in Europe. Now, they have collated the results, and we can reveal the top 50.
Check out our interview with Phoenix Blue's Kasper Kamateros to find out how the Smash Bros Melee EU rankings are put together and why they're an important incentive for the pro players to improve. On with the top 50...
50. Sharp
Sharp
© Phoenix Blue / GeekyGoonSquad
Following Armada’s retirement, the title of Sweden’s best Peach was inherited by Sharp.
Hailing from the city of Västerås, Sharp started off his Melee career by making the two hour trip to the Stockholm local every week. He worked his way up the power rankings of the most stacked region in Scandinavia, peaking as high as fifth in spring 2018. After moving west, the grinder Sharp started making the two-hour trip to the Gothenburg local instead, where he instantly cemented himself as one of the top players there.
Sharp has been the definition of consistency in the past year. He has rarely lost to players ranked below him and has consistently beaten players perceived to be at his level. Strong showings at Phoenix Blue 2 and Red Bull EWKND prove that he can hang with some of the best in Scandinavia.
Written by: Kasper 'Teroz' Kamateros
49. Charlon
Charlon
© Phoenix Blue / Marie Notot, Le Pugilat des Étoiles
While mostly known for being a spacie player, in the last year Charlon has used Fox, Falco, Peach, Marth, Captain Falcon, and Donkey Kong in tournaments. This shows an impressive understanding of the game that only few players in Europe can match.
Even though he mostly stayed within his region in the past year, he managed to put up very solid performances at the European majors he did attend, most notably getting a 33rd place finish at Heir 5 and a 13th place at HFLAN 2019. His showing at Heir included a win over voff3 and he won a game against Ice after losing the first game with his Donkey Kong.
Written by: Dominik 'Nicki' Kunze
48. Random Ness
Random Ness
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Phoenix Blue's Random-Ness has been playing Smash for many years, but judging by his results over the past 12 months, his best years may be ahead of him.
The Stockholm player who mains as Fox started off the season with a strong performance at Heir 5, finishing 33rd in the largest European Melee tournament of all time. He had solid showings at Valhalla II and Phoenix Blue 2, too, placing 17th at both events. He has also put in some great performances in doubles with his static teammate JohnnyFight, most notably getting third at Phoenix Blue 2 after beating Pipsqueak and Daydee, and having an extremely close set with Pricent & Nicki.
With wins over the likes of Eekim, mayhem, and Jim Morrison, Random-Ness has proven himself capable of competing at a very high level.
Written by: Kasper 'Teroz' Kamateros
47. Kobobi
Kobobi
© Phoenix Blue / Konstantin Heck
Kobobi has had a strong year despite minimal attendance, only showing up to the really big events like Valhalla and Heir 5, where he managed to get 49th at both events. The Berlin player's wins against the likes of FA0, Paju and Däumling have also solidified him as a top 50 player in Europe.
There's definitely more to come from the best Captain Falcon player in Germany.
Writen by: Philipp 'Yogurt' Wodenitscharow
46. Fout NL
Fout NL
© Phoenix Blue / Marie Notot, Le Pugilat des Étoiles
Former Ness main, Fout NL has skyrocketed through the Dutch power rankings since switching to Peach, moving from 19th to 4th in the space of 18 months, surpassing veterans who have been playing for more than a decade. This rise can also be attributed to his work ethic and his willingness to travel – Fout NL has attended an incredible number of European majors.
He's been particularly successful against Ice Climbers, not losing a set to competitors playing as them since 2018. Almost all European Ice Climbers have fallen victim to his methodical and patient play, and even 'Chu Dat' lost a money match against him this summer. However, he can mix it up, preferring a strong offensive game against fastfallers.
As Fout NL makes his European top 50 debut, he has no plans to slow down, and will be attending all thee European summer majors.
Written by: Guus 'Jim Morrison' Kolpa
45. Frozen Light
Frozen Light
© Phoenix Blue / CGN.GG (@tcgngg)
After a short break from competing seriously, FrozenLight – Germany's best Jigglypuff – has returned to Melee in full force.
His creative rests and extremely deep understanding of the neutral game helped him beat some of Europe's top players, with wins against gLory, Kaese and Däumling.
The amount of practise and analysis he does shows that he is determined to do what it takes to improve – one can expect great things from him in the months to come.
Written by: Dominik 'Nicki' Kunze
44. Däumling
Däumling
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Back in 2016, Däumling was well known all over the world as the best Ice Climbers player in Europe. His focus on smart outplays rather than brute force and technical ability makes it easy for him to find grabs, and he also has one of the strongest solo climbers in the scene.
He hasn't been as active in this ranking period, but as he showed during his latest performance at HFLAN 2019, he's still got the skills. He went 2-0 up against Frenzy in a close bo5 set, shocking the commentators with his “genius” Sopo combos.
Being a major supporter of the PAL version of Melee, Däumling is currently taking a break due to the EU switching to NTSC. Being the competitor that he is, let’s hope that he can view switching to NTSC as a challenge and enrichen the scene again.
Written by: Maxi 'FrozenLight' Rose
43. Isdsar
Isdar
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Isdar was raised in Greece and now lives in Wales, two countries that aren't renowned for their high level Melee scenes. However, this relative lack of pro player exposure hasn’t prevented him from crafting an incredible Captain Falcon.
Isdsar is really, really good – perhaps even better than his results indicate. He plays with such ferocity that when you watch his matches, the idea of him losing can feel absurd. He moves quickly to smother his opponents and force mistakes in neutral, and then somehow covers every tech option on the planet with his devastating punish game.
Isdsar hasn’t competed in many tournaments recently, but within the last year he has picked up a couple of set wins over the Falco rockstar, Frenzy, and has even taken games off the likes of Professor Pro and Trif – an achievement matched by very few players.
Written by: Mystery Marth
42. Paju
Paju
© Phoenix Blue / Atte Haapalahti
Paju has been a top player in Finland for many years, first appearing on their national power rankings back in 2011. However, in the last 12 months, Hh's really proved himself to be a threat to Europe's top players as well as his domestic opponents.
Paju has had solid performances at majors, placing 33rd at Heir 5 and 17th at Valhalla II. However, his most impressive run came at Norwegian national Vivaldi Autumn, where he defeated both JohnnyFight and Widl en route to fifth place.
Not only is Paju good at Melee, he’s also the world-record holder in the popular Finnish game Nopeustesti, which translates to Speed Test. If you’ve watched any of the videos he has posted on Twitter, you’ll know that his reaction time is truly out of this world. Could this be the secret behind Paju’s success in Melee?
Written by: Kasper 'Teroz' Kamateros
41. R23
R23
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Known in the UK as Mr. Consistency, R23 has been ranked top 10 in his home country since December 2015, and has been the highest Sheik main for that entire period.
While he did not travel much this last season, R23 showed he is still an international threat with a top 24 finish at Awakening 4, beating Ares and Kaese, and also netted a win over Kellner at Heir 5. Impressively, during the 12-month ranking period he did not suffer a single loss to any lower-ranked UK player.
Writen by: Caspar 'Moby' van der Sman
40. Kaese
Kaese
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Germany used to be full of top level Sheik players, but with Ice having switched to Fox in 2014 and Usleon retiring in 2017, Kaese is the last ninja standing.
His highlights of the last year include him finishing in seventh place at Willzville after beating Nicki, and an extremely strong 25th place at Heir 5, where he beat Tekk and Toph. This, combined with solid placings throughout 2018 and 2019, secures him his first placing on a European ranking.
Now that Sheik players are finally able to play the NTSC version of Melee that they always dreamed of, it will be interesting to see if Kaese will be able to adapt quicker than others and rise up the ranks even faster.
Written by: Dominik 'Nicki' Kunze
39. Fatman.spam
Fatman.spam
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
German players have historically been extremely good at the Ice Climbers matchup. Despite this, fatman.spam has been steadily rising up the ranks in Germany while also making a name for himself in Europe – this year, as well as making it into our top 40, he managed to enter the German top five for the first time
A lot of players have known about him for a while, but he certainly caught everyone's attention when he beat Kaese, Stijn, and double eliminated Zgetto to win Sector Z #2.0. This, alongside many other great performances, earned him the infamous title of 'Best Ice Climbers in Germany', a title that probably won't be taken away from him anytime soon.
Written by: Dominik 'Nicki' Kunze
38. Blaze
Blaze
© Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
One would think that the persistent threat of tendonitis and wrist pain to Melee players' careers would apply more to those that main fast characters like Fox and Falco, but Blaze's trademark technical Peach and explosive combo game has been taking its toll on his hands, too.
These problems make his results and performances even more impressive, and he has really been as fierce as ever in the tournaments that he's played in. Wins over Overtriforce, Ares and voff3, as well as consistent placings have scored him a ranking two spots higher than spring 2018.
Slowly but surely the hand pain has become too much for him to compete, so he’s benched for now as a competitor. He's currently experimenting with more ergonomic alternatives to the GameCube controller, so hopefully we'll see him back in action soon enough.
Written by: Maxi 'FrozenLight' Rose
37. SchlimmShady
SchlimmShady
© Phoenix Blue / Marie Notot, Le Pugilat des Étoiles
SchlimmShady's results with Doctor Mario in 2018 were impressive with strong placings at Lighthouse and Heir 5. He took out the likes of Timi and Overtriforce, proving that he was a serious threat to any top level player.
In late 2018 he decided he wanted to experience the game in a different way; he left his weapon of choice Doctor Mario behind and picked up Captain Falcon as his new main character. While one would think that switching away from a character as unique as Doctor Mario would be extremely difficult, SchlimmShady proved everyone wrong and started picking up wins right away.
A top eight placement at HFLAN 2019 definitely shut up everyone who doubted his character switch, and it will be very interesting to see how his Falcon develops over time.
Written by: Dominik 'Nicki' Kunze
36. UnHaven
Unhaven
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
UnHaven is well known as the aggro Ice Climbers player who doesn’t need to wobble, a technique that allows the characters to pull off an infinite combo. He sees Melee as a stage for players to express themselves – and his playstyle is one of the most expressive in the business. He recently earned sixth place on the UK PR, and over the last year he has taken sets from players such as Mahie, Pipsqueak, SchlimmShady, and more.
But hold the phone. The breaking news is that UnHaven has dropped Ice Climbers in favour of Marth, and has brought along his signature aggressive style to create one of the most exciting Marths seen in a long time. This change has enabled him to get maximum enjoyment from Melee, so you should expect this new mindset and character combination to take him far.
Written by: Mystery Marth
35. Widl
Widl
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
After spending several years in the US and getting his fair share of big wins, in 2018 Vetle 'Widl' Hovland returned to his home turf of Norway stronger than ever. Widl aims to combine his American experience with his established European legacy to get the best of both worlds.
Few players can boast of being as consistent as Widl, never placing below his seeding at any majors he’s attended and often outperforming it. His patient yet calculated playstyle has earned him wins against a wide variety of players such as Sharp, Moe, Ringler, Mordo, Niklas2912, and fellow Norwegian legend Zorc.
His strong Ice Climbers matchup knowledge ensured he stayed undefeated against anyone playing as them this season, beating some of Europe’s strongest eskimos such as fatman.spam, NintendOrk and JohnnyFight.
Written by: Tin 'MM720' Baros
34. FA0
FA0
© Phoenix Blue / GeekyGoonSquad
Being a constant of the Stockholm Melee scene, FA0 has not once missed out on their power rankings in the past four years.
Following an unusually shaky start to the year, FA0 proved any doubters wrong with an incredible performance at Phoenix Blue 2. The Swede picked up strong wins over Pipsqueak, Eekim and Moe and finished in ninth place, proving that he is one of the best Ice Climbers in Europe.
Written by: Kasper 'Teroz' Kamateros
33. Alpha Dash
Alpha Dash
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
An iconic figure in UK melee history, Dujuan 'Alpha Dash' Planter has been ranked top 10 in the country for the majority of the scene’s existence before cutting back on attending as many events from 2018.
But if you think this story ends with a quiet retirement, Alpha Dash had other ideas, returning to the European stage with some of his best performances in years. He secured top eight finishes at London internationals Murked 2 and 4, with wins over both domestic threats like his Ice Climbers rival UnHaven, as well as overseas invaders Moe and Timi. He also had a strong showing at Heir 5, where he defeated Poppmaister6000 and was the only person to beat Pipsqueak in pools.
Written by: Caspar “Moby” van der Sman
32. Nintend0rk
Nintend0rk
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Hailing from Bergen, Erling 'NintendOrk' Bell Lysaker is one of the rising stars of the European Melee scene. NintendOrk has taken inspiration from his favourite player ChuDat, as displayed in his patient neutral game, solid fundamentals and prowess at matchups traditionally considered tricky for the Ice Climbers.
2019 appears to be the start of his breakout with wins over Moe and nebbii at Valhalla II, where he placed 17th. Only two months later, he again made waves at Phoenix Blue 2, where he reached top eight, defeating the likes of Poppmaister6000, UnHaven, and Sharp. He recently accomplished one of his goals of reaching the top five in Norway, achieving fourth on the most recent Power Ranking, and famously upsetting Zorc in a dominant 3-0 set at Vivaldi Winter.
Written by: Vetle 'Widl' Hovland
31. Charon
- Country: Germany
- Main: Marth
- Results: Awakening 4: 9th; Heir 5: 33rd; Valhalla II: 9th
30. Moe
Moe
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Adam 'Moe' Holst, one of the world's most prominent Donkey Kong players, has shown slashes of potential since picking up the game in 2015, but only truly started to shine in the last couple of years.
He earned many of his best results at tournaments such as Heir 5, Valhalla II, Phoenix Blue 2 and Murked 4, beating players such as gLory, Alpha Dash, R23, Sho and Random-Ness. His greatest win took place at Valhalla II where he upset Professor Pro 2-1, cementing his status as the most successful Danish player of all time.
With his fast and precise movement, brutal punish game and creative play, Moe has pushed what is perceived to be a low tier character to unseen levels of technical prowess and matchup understanding, proving to many that there is far more to Donkey Kong than meets the eye.
Written by: Marcus 'Frenje' Frenje
29. Eekim
Eekim
© Phoenix Blue / Kim Ervasti
Kim 'Eekim' Ervast has been feared in his local Stockholm scene for a long time, but has only recently started to breakout in Europe.
A Marth main with a disciplined yet oppressive playstyle, Eekim is incredibly good at keeping the opponent in bad positions either with his exceptionally deadly punish game or with a good understanding of stage positioning by not letting anyone escape from the corner.
Locally, he has beaten every other active player, notably doing very well against Daydee, getting a dominant 2-0 at Red Bull EWKND. His international breakout happened at Heir 5, where he placed 13th after beating Widl, Mayhem and Kellner. Now, with more experience under his belt, no one should be surprised to see Eekim beating higher ranked players in the future.
Written by: Linus 'Pipsqueak' Nordin
28. Mahie
Mahie
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Team Oplon's swordsman is a household name in European Melee. With his fundamental-based and reliable playstyle, the French Marth player has topped the most recent French power ranking for the first time.
This year's results include solid wins over Blaze, Poppmaister6000, Parsec and his French countrymen Baxon and Djagof. His tournament placings also reflect his rock solid performances, with 17th at Heir 5 and ninth at HFLAN, where he was only stopped in his tracks by the likes of Amsah and S2J.
In the coming year, the French Zorro and his blue Marth will continue to terrorise floaties and spacies alike in bracket, so keep an eye out for him.
Written by: Philipp 'Yogurt' Wodenitscharow
27. gLory
gLory
© Phoenix Blue / GeekyGoonSquad
Austrian Sheik player gLory has yet again impressed with his technically fast, yet precise ninja moves.
Despite having a rather quiet year with low attendance, gLory still managed to grab some impressive wins along the way against the likes of Charon, Zorc, Kellner and Liax. Although he may not have been quite as active in Europe, his trip to the US at Don't Park On The Grass allowed him to prove his worth with some of his biggest wins yet against heavy hitters like N0ne, Fiction, Milkman and Spud.
The only way is up for gLory and there's a lot more to expect from this Sheik prodigy.
Written by: Philipp 'Yogurt' Wodenitscharow
26. Sverre
Sverre
© Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Having solidified his position as top two in his country after about two years of playing the game, Sverre 'Sverre' Vinje is now establishing himself as a staple in the upper echelon of European Melee. This crowd-pleasing Captain Falcon is known for his dynamic and fast-paced neutral game. His mixups and ability to adapt quickly make him a tthreat to any player that's not ready, and at Heir 5 he proved this by beating Pipsqueak and FA0 as well as almost taking down Overtriforce in a nail-biting 3-2 set.
Despite not travelling outside of Norway that much, Sverre climbs up one more spot from the previous ranking. He managed to score a 13th place finish at Phoenix Blue 2 in Sweden, adding Eekim to his list of good wins and bringing nebbii to a close game five set. If he decides to show up at more European majors, he will surely be a force to be reckoned with.
Written by: Vetle 'Widl' Hovland
25. Humpe
Humpe
© Phoenix blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, and not yet currently ranked on any local PR, Humpe is no stranger to the European Smash Bros Melee scene. His Falco has taken some notable names in 2019, including a dominating 3-0 victory over top European Sheiks in Overtriforce and Jadde – he also took a set from Gothenburg Ice Climbers player JohnnyFight.
Humpe relies heavily on getting a gameplay flow going and when he does, even players at the top echelon of European Smash know that they have to be fully focused to beat him. As long as he doesn’t tilt, he will send his opponents' stocks straight down the drain with a million down-airs.
Writen by: Tristan "Reverb" Jakobsen
24. Kellner
Kellner
© Engines Stuttgart
The Peach main based in Bochum has shot up the European ranking like a rocket. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Kellner one of the most aggressive floatie mains in the world, with a playstyle which enables him to team up with anyone and still perform well at doubles events.
In the last year he also made his playstyle work in singles just as well, outplaying his opponents at a breakneck pace, always seeming to be one step ahead of his opponents with his aggressive play. He is mesmerising to watch and a menace to play against, winning countless German tournaments and enjoying international victories over Professor Pro, Levingy and gLory.
Written by: Maxi 'FrozenLight' Rose
23. Poppmaister6000
Poppmaister6000
© Phoenix Blue /Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Just over a year ago, Poppmaister6000 was a relatively unknown player looking to grab the top spot in his local region. Since then, he has emerged as a top competitor in Sweden, and one of the best Jigglypuff players in Europe.
Poppmaister has an incredible set of wins, picking up victories over Daydee, nebbii, Pipsqueak, Jadde and Humpe in the past year. He showed off his patient play when he went up against aMSa – the world's eighth best player – at Phoenix Blue 2, losing 1-3 after an extremely close Game 4.
Dedicated to improving, Poppmaister almost religiously grinds Melee online on Netplay and travels to every tournament possible. He will stop at nothing to reach his goals, and now he has set his sights on being one of the top players in Europe.
Written by: Kasper 'Teroz' Kamateros
22. voff3
voff3
© Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Prior to 2019, Andreas 'voff3' Vågran might have been an unfamiliar name to most people, but this young Marth main quickly made a name for himself in Norway. He has rapidly climbed the ranks since 2015 and is now rated as the second-best player in the country.
Having proven his dominance with Marth, he is often seen busting out several of his secondaries – most notably Fox and Roy. At one point he even managed to beat Falco legend Calle W with the latter, after initially losing as Marth.
Armed with a ruthless punish game and patient neutral, voff3 is quickly building his reputation as one of the most promising new European players, and one of best Marths on the continent. He frequently dominates the local Oslo tournaments, and finished ninth back-to-back at Valhalla II and Phoenix Blue 2, taking out the likes of Poppmaister6000 and Humpe. Additionally, he has managed to beat Pricent on two separate occasions at Norwegian nationals. It's only a matter of time until voff3 breaks into the next tier of talent.
Written by: Vetle 'Widl' Hovland
21. Jadde
Jadde
© Phoenix Blue / GeekyGoonSquad
Old-school Swedish legend Jadde (formerly Captain Jadde) has blessed the Smash community with his return.
With one of the fastest Sheiks in Europe, Jadde placed fifth at the Stockholm event Red Bull EWKND, where he showed the new blood of Scandinavia that they better respect their senior competitors, beating Daydee, Pricent and Eekim.
But it’s not only the new players he’s beating. At Valhalla II, where he placed 13th, he defeated Eagle and Paju, both top players from their regions. His skill in singles is at least equal to that in doubles, so no matter what bracket he competes in, he's sure to go far.
There’s a common saying in Sweden that goes: “There’s only one place where Jadde is better than on platforms, and that is on the dancefloor.”
Written by: Max 'Acid Loveboi' Lanéus
20. JohnnyFight
JohnnyFight
© Phoenix Blue / John Rundlöw
Gothenburg's JohnnyFight takes everything you know about the Ice Climbers, turns it on its head and shows you a side of the characters you didn't even know existed. Known for his fast and exciting gameplay, the Swedish player has consistently been a major threat at European tournaments.
After a short period of inactivity he returned as strongly as ever at Valhalla II and Phoenix Blue 2, where he put in an amazing performance to finish fifth in one of Europe's most stacked tournaments this year, beating Humpe, NintendOrk and nebbii. Going forward, there is no doubt that JohnnyFight will continue working his magic, using his creative punishes to make many Smash players consider picking up the Ice Climbers.
Written by: Dominik 'Nicki' Kunze
19. Pipsqueak
Pipsqueak
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
In a sea of European Foxes, Stockholm's Pipsqueak has managed to stand out. His analytical approach to the game shows in everything he does in Melee – ask him about any specific interaction and he'll be ready to write you a 400 word essay on it. Pipsqueak isn't just all brain though, he's got the brawn to go with it.
While making highly informative YouTube videos on the side, Pipsqueak collected wins over the likes of Poppmaister, Fuzzyness, Mahie, Random-Ness and Blaze to earn himself a place in this year's top 20. For a player with game knowledge as extensive as Pipsqueak's, there is nowhere to go in the rankings but up.
Written by: Dominik ‘Nicki’ Kunze
18. Levingy
Levingy
© Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
While the title of 'Best Falco in Europe' has been highly contested for many years, Levingy has been one of the main contenders. The Finnish Falco excels at locking down his opponents and then capitalising on the bad situations they find themselves in. This playstyle has been working wonders for him, netting him a 33rd place finish at EVO 2018, where he beat Overtriforce and Bladewise.
He hasn't only been doing well at American majors though – his placings in Europe have been consistently good all season long. At MURK3D he showed that he's proficient in many different matchups by beating Fout NL's Peach, Nicki's Fox and Jah Ridin's Luigi on his way to securing fourth place at the stacked UK national. Now that most of the world has heard of him, it will be interesting to see if his Falco continues improving at the same rate and if he can keep delivering great performances at both EU and US majors.
Written by: Dominik ‘Nicki’ Kunze
17. MINT
MINT
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Christopher ‘MINT’ Montgomery has only attended three events in the past year, but he’s still a player that opponents fear. In that time he’s picked up huge wins against top players such as Sho, Eekim, Däumling, maXy, R23 and Chillindude. This has helped him finish 13th at Heir 5, 2nd at GROML and 5th at Schism 3, only dropping sets against Daydee, Overtriforce, Professor Pro and Lucky.
The Fox main is a calculated, technical, composed and thoughtful player, and many opponents struggle to deal with him. His Fox is so difficult to punish because he plays a careful neutral with a deathly punish game.
The European scene can only hope to see more of MINT in the coming year, as he is sure to collect more impressive wins. Melee fans know what MINT is capable of and can’t wait for him to show it more often on the international stage.
Written by: Chelsea ‘Chelly’ Toms
16. Jah Ridin’
Jah Ridin
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Yann 'Jah Ridin’ Girardin is an aggressive player with a slippery neutral and devastating punishes. The Swiss Luigi started off the season strongly with a fourth place finish at MURKED! 2, where he took out Frenzy.
Then, realising he had potential to improve further, he went to San Jose for the summer to grind Melee as much as he could. After quickly adapting to the new scene, he showed the Americans a punish game unlike anything they’d seen before and ended up ranked 12th in NorCal after only a few months.
When he returned to Europe, he showed off the results of his training, finishing third at MURKED 4 and taking sets off some of Europe’s best, including Professor Pro, Timi and UnHaven. His form continued into HFLAN 2019, where he placed seventh and only dropped sets to European titans Ice and Amsah.
While travel costs still prevent him from attending a lot of European events, he continues his grind via Netplay, getting ready to move even further into Europe’s top 20 in the future.
Written by: Tin ‘MM720’ Baros
15. Timi
Timi
© Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Timi is the best player in Austria, but if you look at his performances over the past 12 months, there's more to come from the methodical Falco player. He has a plethora of wins under his belt against the likes of Overtriforce, Nicki, Kellner, Mahie, Frenzy and Professor Pro. He's also perfomed strongly at tournaments, finishing fifth at Awakening 4, 17th at Heir 5 and fifth at HFLAN this season.
Timi also made his way over the pond to attend Don't Park on the Grass with his fellow European peers, making it to top 32 qualifiers while grabbing a few notable wins along the way against the likes of Ringler, Milkman and his fellow Austrian player gLory. The Viennese Falco main is looking to claw his way into the upper echelon of European Smash and his strong results make him a strong contender to look out for at future tournaments.
Written by: Philipp ‘Yogurt’ Wodenitscharow
14. Frenzy
Frenzy
© Phoenix Blue / Marie Notot, Le Pugilat des Étoiles
Elliot ‘Frenzy’ Grossman is a flashy entertaining Falco, with the consistency to go with the flair. Other than at Heir 5, he has placed no lower than seventh at the tournaments he's attended, getting wins against the likes of Setchi, UnHaven, nebbii, Amsah and Professor Pro.
He also enriches the scene with his analysis of high-level players on stream, knowledge which helps his own game.
If he keeps up his level of consistency at the European and American events that he regularly attends, we should expect Frenzy to rise even higher up the rankings in the future.
Written by: Chelsea ‘Chelly’ Toms
13. Nicki
Nicki
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Nicki has inspired many players as his constant improvement has helped him shoot up the rankings since he started playing Smash in 2015. The pace with which he rose to dominance meant that he lost his underdog status rapidly as he quickly became the clear #2 in Germany.
At Heir 5, Nicki stunned everyone by netting a prestigious top eight placing after beating Pricent in a game 5 nailbiter with a cheeky shine spike finish.
He has a great record against players just outside of the European top league, being up 2-0 against nebbii, 1-0 against Pipsqueak and 1-1 against Setchi and Pricent. The next step would be to challenge the likes of Professor Pro and Ice, both of whom he has consistently threatened in close 3-1 sets.
Written by: Maxi ‘FrozenLight’ Rose
12. nebbii
Nebbii
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Europe’s premier Yoshi, who rose to prominence after taking a game off Armada and a stellar performance at Heir 4, has continued to impress. Nebbii started the season off with a superb victory at MURKED! 2, beating Professor Pro and Vanity Angel twice. Though his results have taken a hit due to his weakness to Ice Climbers, he was still able to reach the top eight of both Valhalla II and Phoenix Blue 2, picking up wins over voff3, Humpe and Moe.
Nebbii has not competed on the European stage since switching to the B0XX controller February. After a month of practise on the HitBox Smashbox, his very own B0XX arrived and he has steadily improved his domestic results to the level previously expected of him. It will be a treat to finally see nebbii perform without physical limitations to his full technical potential.
Written by: Guus ‘Jim Morrison’ Kolpa
11. Setchi
11. Setchi
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
They used to joke that Setchi was a baby Welsh Wizzrobe, being a Captain Falcon main who reaction tech-chased his way to victory. His proficiency at Melee has grown tenfold since those days, and he has earned international respect, both for his achievements in tournaments, and for his lab work on the Captain Falcon metagame.
Setchi has netted some impressive wins over the last year, notably double eliminating Trif at MURK3D in November, and taking his second set from Professor Pro at QUARTERED 12 in February. Setchi is number three on the UK PR, and has cemented himself between Frenzy and maXy as one of the guardians of ‘the gap’ between Professor Pro and every other UK player.
He has some recent victories over Pipsqueak and Isdsar, but the majority of Setchi’s high-level wins are against Frenzy, whom he enjoys a great rivalry against. The pair always seem to meet in the loser’s final at tournaments, their matches are always nail-biting, and you could flip a coin to determine who will emerge victorious.
Written by: Mystery Marth
10. Pricent
Pricent
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
After being considered the hidden boss of Europe in recent times, Pricent has proven to everyone that he can hang with the best of the best. The uncontested #1 in Norway has earned his top 10 placing by performing remarkably well in Europe and the US.
After beating Overtriforce at Heir 5, Pricent managed to extend his resume of top 100 wins at Emerald City 8, his very first US tournament. By taking a set off of Bladewise while also beating multiple other top 100 contestants, he showed the entire world that Scandinavia has amazing Melee players outside of Sweden.
His Fox mixes European efficiency with a truckload of style and inventive punishes, making him an absolute joy to watch. It's only a matter of time until the Pricent fan club becomes an even bigger international phenomenon.
Written by: Dominik ‘Nicki’ Kunze
9. maXy
maXy
© Phoenix Blue / Cecilia Öhlund (IG: @cissieohphoto)
In last year’s European power rankings, Northern Ireland’s maXy just missed out on top 50. This year, he’s made it into the top 10!
The rise of maXy started at The Contract invitational at Heir 5. With the likes of Setchi, nebbii and Nicki participating, maXy was the clear underdog in a field of rising stars, but it wouldn’t go the way of the favourites. By beating Zorc 3-1 in the semis, and Setchi 3-0 in the final, the underdog overcame the odds to be crowned champion. However, his most impressive performance was at Valhalla II, where he shocked everyone by beating Amsah, Overtriforce, Pricent and Frenzy to finish second.
Many believed in the potential of maXy, but few saw his meteoric rise coming. Now established as one of the best in Europe, it is safe to say that the story of maXy has only just begun.
Written by: Kasper ‘Teroz’ Kamateros
8. Daydee
Daydee
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Jacob ‘Daydee’ Stenberg, the best Samus in Europe, has had a rock-solid season, rarely losing to players ranked below him.
Daydee stands out due to his consistency, but he’s also enjoyed peaks where he has upset higher ranked players. Notably, when he placed fifth at Heir 5 beating MINT, Eekim, and Professor Pro in a nail-biter best-of-five. He has also picked up wins against Pricent, nebbii and JohnnyFight over the course of the past 12 months.
If there's one player on this ranking who can consistently outplace his seed it's Daydee.
Written by: Linus ‘Pipsqueak’ Nordin
7. Vanity Angel
Vanity Angel
© Phoenix Blue / Marie Notot, Le Pugilat des Étoiles
After consistently being among the best in the UK for a decade, Robby ‘Vanity Angel’ Gee announced his retirement from competitive Melee in January this year. Equipped with an impeccable punish game and spacing, Vanity Angel is one of the most terrifying Peaches on the continent. In his last year of competition, it looks as though he’s going out in style, claiming his highest rank yet.
This Peach powerhouse took down several strong players at the events he attended. At MURKED! 2 he beat top UK players Professor Pro and Frenzy, as well as Jah Ridin’ on his way to a second place finish. Awakening 4 marked another great showing for Vanity Angel, finishing fourth after again beating Professor Pro, and adding Timi to his list. He also placed ninth at Heir 5 with wins over nebbii, Timi and Tekk. Vanity Angel has built an impressive legacy as a player and was notably ranked 96th in the world for 2016 – firmly establishing himself among Europe’s all-time best.
Written by: Vetle ‘Widl’ Hovland
6. Overtriforce
Overtriforce
© Phoenix Blue / Cecilia Öhlund (IG: @cissieohphoto)
It is impossible to talk about the history of European Melee without mentioning Roberto ‘Overtriforce’ Iglesias. One of the scene’s strongest players since at least 2007, he was amongst the first European smashers to compete in the USA in 2010, helping bring American attention to the wider global community. He was also ranked top 30 in the world in the inaugural edition of SSBMRank.
There are many players from that era whose idiosyncratic playstyles have been left behind by the 2019 metagame, but Overtriforce is not one of them – he has only been seen outside of a top eight once in the entire 12 month ranking period (ninth at Heir 5).
Overtriforce’s resume includes a winning record against his longtime rival Professor Pro, as well as multiple set wins over Amsah and victories against what feels like everybody in the next tier of European players, including nebbii, Vanity Angel, MINT, Nicki, Frenzy, Timi, and voff3.
Known around the world for his unmatched recovery mixups, his surgical edgeguarding, his unexplained affinity for Final Destination, and for giving his name to the ‘Over tech’, there’s no reason why Overtriforce’s legend shouldn’t continue to grow for many years to come.
Written by: Caspar ‘Moby’ van der Sman
5. Professor Pro
Professor Pro
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Part of the UK tournament experience is hearing the “Oh, Aaron Thomas” chant echo throughout the venue, as the Fox on screen decimates his opponent. Beloved by his fellow countrymen, Aaron ‘Professor Pro’ Thomas has for many years been considered one of the very best in Europe.
While the opposition players rising up the ranks are hungrier than ever, Professor Pro has enjoyed another extremely solid year. Reaching top eight at every single European event he attended, he picked up wins over fellow top players Trif, Amsah, Overtriforce, Vanity Angel, maXy, Setchi and Frenzy. Especially strong showings at HFLAN 2019 and SUPERBOU 2 solidified his spot among the top five best European players.
With the retirement of Vanity Angel, Professor Pro’s top spot in the UK could appear secure, but with Frenzy, Setchi and maXy closing in, and future stars Isdsar and Fat Tino making their presence felt, Professor Pro has a very interesting year ahead of him.
Written by: Kasper ‘Teroz’ Kamateros
4. Amsah
Amsah
© Phoenix Blue /Emrik Jansson
In 2006, when flip-phones were all the rage and Pluto was still a planet, Amsah had already cemented his spot as best player in The Netherlands, a title that he hasn’t relinquished in over 14 years. In this period, he has held the number one spot in Europe numerous times and never faded from the top five.
It had been a while since Amsah took first place at a European major, but his dry spell ended with a stunning performance at Awakening 4, beating Levingy, Overtriforce and Ice twice to take home the gold.
Amsah has recently suffered losses to up-and-comers maXy at Valhalla 2, and Frenzy at HFLAN 2019. After both defeats, a grumble of “if only it was NTSC” could be heard coming from his corner of the venue.
He’ll get his chance on NTSC this summer as major European tournaments are now running that version of Melee. It will be exciting to see how Amsah performs with a buffed Sheik, specifically in the Peach and spacies matchups. Will he become even more domineering, or will new challengers finally rise up to meet him?
Written by: Guus ‘Jim Morrison’ Kolpa
3. Ice
Ice
© Phoenix Blue / Emrik Jansson
Mustafa ‘Ice’ Akcakaya’s form has continued into 2019 as his Fox has dominated opponents in Germany. Even though he had a relatively quiet year with spotty international attendance, he still slaughters his opponents in bracket when he does perform.
For the duration of the ranking period, Ice has placed no lower than fourth. He enjoyed tournament victories at VCA 2018 and SUPERBOU 2 while he finished second at Awakening 4, Lighthouse, Red Bull EWKND and HFLAN 2019, only losing to other players in the highest echelon of European Smash.
Ice can strike fear into the European brackets, and fans definitely miss his presence when he doesn’t attend international events. If Ice continues to stay crisp and concise with his gameplay and increases his appearance at events, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that he can’t be commanding the global Smash scene.
Written by: Chelsea ‘Chelly’ Toms
2. Trif
Trif
© Phoenix Blue / Katy Eyre (@katyleyre)
Trif is living proof that hard work pays off. In between beating up CPUs for hours on end, he attended the majority of European majors that took place in the last year, and won nearly all of them. He placed first at tournaments such as Valhalla II, Phoenix Blue 2, HFLAN 2019, Regen 2019 and many more.
Listing all his victories against European players would almost be pointless, since he has a winning record against nearly every single one of them. Instead, we can fawn over the wins he has picked up against the international top talent Melee has to offer. Trif started off strong in 2019 by beating Mew2King at Genesis 6, a legendary set that ended in the most well-deserved popoff ever seen. He kept up the momentum and double eliminated aMSa at Phoenix Blue 2, and thanks to an unbelievable campaign, Trif got into Smash Summit 8 where he solidified his status as a top international player even further by beating Ginger, iBDW and Zain.
Being ranked the 12th best player in the world on the recent Summer MPGR, there is no doubt that Trif is easily the second best European player right now – a title he has worked extremely hard for.
Written by: Dominik ‘Nicki’ Kunze
1. Leffen
Leffen
© Phoenix Blue / Carl Paradise (@SHIP_Combo)
Having been with Team SoloMid for several years, the undisputed champion of European Smash is William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte. It is no surprise that Leffen stands among the very best Melee players in the world, not dropping a single set to another European player since Armada’s retirement back in September 2018.
His style of Fox play is methodical, yet unique. His creative, calculated options are bliss for any Melee spectator to witness and his brutal punish game sends shivers down the spine of every opponent he faces – he even sports a winning record over current world champion, Hungrybox of Team Liquid.
This has netted him a #4 spot in the most recent Melee Panda Global Rankings in what was a very evenly matched top five. This means that TSM Leffen is the central pillar of Europe’s presence in the global Melee scene as well as our shining star.
Written by: Tristan ‘Reverb’ Jakobsen
Phoenix Blue Smash Bros Melee EU rankings administrative team
- Project Manager and Head Statistician: Kasper 'Teroz' Kamateros
- Graphic Designer: Filip 'Flippy' Tengwall
- Administrative Manager: Tristan 'Reverb' Jakobsen
