Try to imagine the perfect 64 competitor. A player combining lighting-quick movement, devastating combos and frighteningly consistent edge guards. At number 1 on the rankings, Wario has proven to be about as close to perfect as the game has ever seen. From 2014 to 2016, he placed first in every major tournament he attended. Three straight years of dominance–Wario is that good.

Wario first established tournament supremacy by defeating Jouske, the Japanese Samus main who at one time was a contender for best in the world. However, at Genesis 3, Wario gained a chance at wider exposure in the West. He tore through the bracket, facing high-level opponents such as Mariguas and Wizzrobe, without losing a single game on his way to Winners Finals. Finally, Wario faced off against SuPeRbOoMfAn, the best player in North America. After defeating the Canadian in Winners Finals, Wario then battled Boom again in Grand Finals, where SuPeRbOoMfAn won the first set 3-0 to reset the bracket. The packed Genesis arena, filled mostly with Americans, cheered on Boom. However, just when it seemed Boom had found an answer to Wario’s play, Wario struck back, winning the final set in a comfortable 3-0.

Wario’s play style epitomizes what 64 can be when played optimally. He glides around the stage with just enough patience and just enough pressure. When he nabs even the slightest hit, he extends it into a combo and often to a kill. Just when you think an opponent will escape, Wario uses an option you didn’t know existed. There are many that think the 64 meta has a long way to go. Until then, Wario is setting the bar.

-Max Buckler

2016 proved to be a continuation of the age of Dan “SuPeRbOoMfAn” Hoyt in North America. He asserted his dominance over the continent and most of the world throughout the year at every tournament he attended. With losses only to Alvin and Wario, even taking a game off Boom became watermarks for other players. Boom’s Captain Falcon versus Wario in the Grand Finals of Genesis 3 is something Falcon players look to for inspiration. Boom’s patient style causes problems for almost all players, as Boom makes people pay for even the smallest of mistakes. This, combined with his natural talent and experience, make him a true force to be reckoned with and the one true master of Smash 64 in North America.

The long time legend won every single tournament he entered this year except two, which happened to be two of the tournaments that the top players of other continents attended. While Boom continued to prove that he was the fiercest competitor native to North America’s shores, a few of his rivals seemed to be making strides towards closing the gap. Wizzrobe pushed Boom to the limit at Pound 2016. Mariguas and Isai nearly defeated him at Super Smash Con 2016. Dext3r almost proved to be too much for SuPeRbOoMfAn to handle at Operation Desert Smash II. However, time and time again, this quintessential competitor proved he was in the driver’s seat as North America’s premier Smasher.

The only losses Boom suffered were to top talent that traveled from other continents to challenge the master. Wario double-eliminated Boom at Genesis 3, while Alvin did the same at SuperBoomed. However, beyond these opponents, Boom proved untouchable, defeating all his rivals time and time again. His list of defeated opponents is incredible to look at this year: players such as Wizzrobe, Mariguas, Wangera and Shears were sent packing by Boom. In what was surely a reward for such a masterful year, Boom was recently picked up by Panda Global, an announcement that has made waves in Smash 64. This is the first time a solo-64 player has been sponsored by a major eSports team. No other player is more deserving of this honor.

-Ben Corn

After a two year hiatus, Joel “Isai” Alvarado came back into 2016 in the most Isai fashion possible. Having arguably the most exciting year of any Super Smash Bros. 64 player, Isai was able to capture every fans’ excitement and spread the pure joy he shares with the game by creating some of the most memorable moments in the entire year. Keeping all of his competitors on their heels, Isai was able to display an elite level of play with almost every character in the cast. In the end, however, he was never able to be crowned a tournament champion.

In November 2015, Isai announced he would be coming to Genesis 3, which marked the first time since 2014 that he had competed in a tournament. Entrants flooded in at his announcement, including two of the top Japanese players: Wangera and Wario. From a viewer’s perspective, it seemed Isai was destined to eventually face the #1 player in Japan, Wario, but Wangera had other plans as he double eliminated Isai. It was through his matches with Mariguas and Tacos, however, that he created some memorable moments as Isai was able to use his shifty Fox to outsmart the other players.

The following spring after Genesis 3, Isai traveled to Southern California to compete in Snosa II. After losing Genesis 3 in a very uncharacteristic suicide, Isai was looking to get another shot to to be claimed champion. Once again he came up short, as he was sent to losers by SuPeRbOoMfAn in a thrilling Winners Finals match and was subsequently defeated by tacos’s Yoshi in an absurd 5 game Losers Finals.

To mark his final tournament of 2016, Isai flew to Super Smash Con, with the word that Alvin would attend. It was at this tournament, when playing Wizzrobe, that Isai was primed to make his run into Grand Finals. In a dominating Game 1, Isai displayed some of the highest level Luigi play that the Super Smash Bros. 64 community had ever seen. It was Wizzrobe, however, that ended as the victor, as Isai constantly switched characters and could not pull of a second victory as Luigi in Game 5.

Isai perfectly encapsulates what makes Smash 64 so amazing. He plays for love, for pure enjoyment, picking his character as his heart desires. However, he is also one to play to a crowd, as he has given into his adoring fans’ chants for his Pikachu in the most intense moments. While his lack of desire to play a full tournament with a serious mindset may frustrate some of his fans, the pure joy Isai displays for this game can teach us all a very important lesson: sometimes, it is worth it to just have fun.

-Alex Jungsten

One of the most legendary players in Smash 64 history, Alvin made his North American debut in 2016, as the world finally got to see Japan vs Peru. Never before had a Peruvian player entered a major 64 tournament in North America. With his comrades plagued with visa issues, Alvin became the country’s lone representative. Bearing the weight of his nation and effectively all of South America on his shoulders, Alvin’s debut at SSC was one of the biggest stories leading into it, and possibly one of the biggest disappointments of 2016.

For a decade, every 64 player around the world knew of Peru. It was arguably the best 64 country in the world, with only Japan being a contender. Alvin was at the top of that country. One of the two best players in the mecca of 64, his arrival to the United States for Super Smash Con 2016 set the community on fire. Unfortunately, Alvin looked like a buster. Finishing 13th with losses to Prince and Kurabba, Alvin appeared a mere mortal, especially against Yoshi. Determined to prove himself, Alvin set out to play several money matches at SSC, finishing with wins over nearly every top player he competed against, including SuPeRbOoMfAn. Despite these challenges and an incredible JV6 on Fireblaster in Game 3 of their set, Alvin’s debut was unimpressive. Many considered him fraudulent and the backlash and disappointment from South America had the world wondering whether the community was all wrong, or if gods can bleed after all.

In October, the NYC tournament SuperBoomed ran a voting system to fly in multiple players for the 64 exclusive event. The first selected player was Alvin, giving him the chance to begin his redemption tour. In what was arguably one of the best tournament runs in Smash 64 history, Alvin showed the world that the man from Peru is truly among the 64 elite. After a 3-1 win over SuPeRbOoMfAn in Winners Semifinals, Alvin was asked to prove he could do it again in losers bracket. With an incredibly exciting and nail biting 5 game series, Alvin double eliminated SuPeRbOoMfAn, joining the elite company of Moyashi and Wario as the only competitors to do so.

Beating the unquestionable best in North America wasn’t enough though, as after dropping Winners Finals to Mariguas, Alvin would need a 5 game victory to reset bracket in Grand Finals. What was seen in the second set of Grand Finals was a slaughter typically reserved for the eyes of butchers. In that moment, Alvin turned from the man everyone saw as a top player into the incarnation of the myth and legend that preceded him. The brutal dissection of Mariguas’s every move and decision turned out a 3-0 victory for Alvin, in which each game looked like it could’ve been a 5 stock. Perhaps one day Alvin will get his rematch with Japan, but the mark Alvin left on North America proves he truly is one of the best to ever play this game.

-David Shears