For many new players, learning to play and combo with Fox quickly proves to be a daunting task involving investment and dedication, but for Steven “Stevie G” Godshall, a technically accomplished Melee player, this seemed like the logical choice, along with picking up a pocket Kirby. While Stevie G was organizing Melee events in the Central PA and Penn State area, he was, in fact, already converted to 64 full time. Stevie G started strong in 2017 by defeating Mr.Sir and Finio at Keystoned and upsetting KD3 at Smash Valley Spring 2017. Teaming with Clubbadubba at MVP vs MOMS, they beat Darkhorse/Lord Narwhal on the journey to finishing 3rd. By the end of the 2016, Stevie G gained access to online to chase down members of TR3G, and since then he has shown marked improvement while balancing the demands of studying computer science at Penn State U.
Notable wins – Finio, Star King, Mr.Sir
Abel “SKG”, the online warrior from Texas, made his console tournament debut in 2017 at CEO Dreamland where he placed 7th. After CEO, he struggled somewhat with the transition from keyboard to a traditional controller. The switch is not easy but it has been done before successfully. While facets of his gameplay such as execution and dexterity will take time to re-cultivate, knowledge of the game transitions seamlessly. After a disappointing 17th at Boss Battle 3, he displayed improvement at Hitstun 5 with a 13th place finish. Online is a great chamber to foster improvement and he has the potential; SKG will move up in the rankings if he stays committed and refines his skills on the N64 controller.
Notable wins – Nintendude
Photo courtesy of Phylicia Burd
Supa, the Michigan native who champions fun and excitement over patience and strategy, is an enigmatic figure for some to rank within the 64 talent pool. He achieved great results, though he only attended three events this year, even if two of those events were among the strongest 64 saw this year. His first notable result was 33rd at Let’s Go!, as he performed up to snuff in the first major to use the Waterfall Tournament Format event in 64 history. His second, and much better showing, was when he placed 25th at perhaps the most stacked 64 event in history. Suffering losses to Jose, SuPeRbOoMfAn, and Fukurou, supa took some names of his own as he took down Mr.Sir, hipstur, and Yobolight. His personal highlight for the year was his strong 2-0 victory over Shears at an early MOMS monthly.
Notable wins – Mr.Sir, Yobolight, Shears
Photo courtesy of © Preston Kwan | @The64Story
Lorenzo “Lorenzo” Saraiva had a quiet start to his 2017 campaign as he did not visit the United States for an event until the year was halfway over. After a strong finish to 2016 where he got 7th at Boss Battle 2, the people were eager to see what the master of gorillas could do. The DK main expanded to the United States, where he attended Called Out! in Michigan and then Get On My Level in Canada a week later. He tore through the local competition at both while only losing to SuPeRbOoMfAn, Kort, YBOMBB and slipping against Fck Vwls after winning game 1 in an incredible 31 seconds. Lorenzo proved himself twice again at the monstrosities that were Super Smash Con and UFSmash 3, where he had a particularly strong victory over Shalaka. His placings earned him his spot, but his DK earns our hearts.
Notable wins – Stevie G, Shalaka*
Photo courtesy of © Preston Kwan | @The64Story
While his finest moment in 2017 may have been in doubles, including a couple memorable 2v1 comebacks at Shine which earned him a spot on the EMG Top Plays of 2017, Rafael “Madrush” Oceguera showed flashes of excellence in singles as well en route to his first appearance on the Super Smash Bros. 64 League Rankings. Madrush earned his best wins in the intimidating Falcon ditto at the two 64-exclusive events he attended, defeating lord narwhal and Darkhorse at Lets Go!, and Janitor at Snosa III. Although the seasoned veteran suffered a few surprising losses, he consistently proved to be a formidable foe for players hoping to crack the rankings in 2018.
Notable wins – lord narwhal, Janitor, Darkhorse
Photo courtesy of © Preston Kwan | @The64Story
This was truly a breakout year for Alexander “Hydra” Deeb. At his first strong showing of his career, Genesis 4, people were wondering what the twin-brother of the more well-known Kimimaru would be able to do. While it wasn’t the most incredible performance, it was certainly eye-opening to a point, as he was basically an unknown before this event. Many expected him to do great things in years to come. However, he was not willing to accept future years as the prediction, as he would go on to take down NaCl and Marbles at majors. Perhaps his most memorable performance came in doubles at SNOSA where he and his brother took down Mariguas and Dext3r. This year has been a strong performance for Mario, a character who has been stagnant for some time. With players like Hydra on his side, we can expect more super Mario finishes for some time.
Notable wins – NaCl, Marbles
Content to remain close to home in 2017, Daniel “Daniel” Mears debuts on the 64 League Rankings as a result of his appearances in two MDVA major tournaments: Lets Go! and Super Smash Con. Despite a loss to Razz in D1 at SSC, Daniel took down Dark Gentleman to make Top 32. He also had his best performance to date at Lets Go!, nabbing a big upset against Marbles in pools and eliminating Shears in D1. Daniel’s low attendance, paired with several of his best wins coming against his own region, kept him from advancing further in the rankings. However, his strong resume in 2017 set him well above the players below him, earning him the 58th spot.
Notable wins – Marbles, Shears, Darkhorse
Originally a Mario main, Nick “Finio” Finio started playing SSB in 2016 during his last semesters at Shippensburg U with players like DROC, Spamus, and Apparition, forming the kernel of what would eventually become the Central PA crew. After being inspired by Wario’s movement and punishes at Genesis 3, Finio spent much of 2017 absorbing the strategies and techniques exhibited by KeroKeroppi, while training heavily with Breakthrough and avoiding playing any characters except Pikachu for several months. Although Finio has had some unlucky draws at majors, such as when he met Alvin and Wario in Top 32 at SSC 2017, and despite not attending as many events as other players, Finio performs consistently in the Philly scene, where he is near the top of the Power Rankings.
Notable wins – Star King, Yobolight
Photo courtesy of MeleeEveryday | twitch.tv/MeleeEveryday
Longtime player Michael “Nintendude” Brancato has endured a series of massive changes recently. He moved from MDVA to NorCal and officially became a Fox main, dropping his long time Mario. While he has moved away from the 64 community to a degree, where he was once the preeminent leader and TO, Nintendude is still a common competitor in our favorite game at multi-game majors. Though it was a bit of a down year, he still managed to take down Madrush twice, and Yunque, proving that he is still a fierce competitor. At Super Smash Con, Nintendude once again teamed with longtime partner Firo, earning an impressive 9th place despite their unique team composition.
Notable wins – Madrush, Yunque
Photo courtesy of © Preston Kwan | @The64Story
Utilizing an intelligent and hardworking play style, Hank “Horbie” Shorb has proven to be a significant threat to many experienced players. He impressed in 2017 with wins over other ranked players such as Darkhorse, HAMMERHEART, Yobolight, and Finio who all fell to his Kirby at notable events. While very humble in conversation, Horbie harbors a deep rooted competitive streak. He will be very nice about it, but make no mistake, he wants to beat you at Smash 64, and more often than not he WILL beat you. Horbie is also the moderator and founder of the largest Kirby player strategy group and a leader of NYC’s console tournament scene.
Notable wins – supa, HAMMERHEART, Yobolight
Photo courtesy of © Preston Kwan | @The64Story
* denotes a win at a national or regional event that was NOT included in the 2017 ballot