40. The Yid
To say that Nick “The Yid” Yidaris is a household name is an understatement to his long-term standing in the Smash 64 community. Hailing from New England emblem of Massachusetts, The Yid has been one of the region’s most consistent players, making great performances in his local events, and being known as one of the game’s most fearsome Yoshi players. Even if the neighboring Tri-state and MD/VA regions held some of the nation’s best players, it did not discourage him from continuing to do his best and keeping up with the ever-growing talent. And this season, he has decided to step it up a notch and remind folks of his tenure.
Boasting a 4th place finish at Prototype 4, and a 9th place finish at Frame 14, The Yid has secured wins over the likes of Mercy, Hotline, and Andykins in tournament, overcoming some of the game’s most tenacious opponents. While he may not be a player that you will often see stray far away from home, it does not mean that he is not one you should undermine in any way. Beyond his impressive skills in bracket, The Yid is one of the most respected individuals there is, and one that will always put a smile on your face as you see him enter the venue to play with everyone. He has competed for many years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. You can always count on him to be present when a big gathering occurs amongst Smash 64 players.
– Cagt
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
39. Natty
“It is hard being bad at your favorite game.” At rank #39, self-proclaimed “Bonafide Scrub” Nathan “Natty” Fastman secures his spot in the UPR Top 50 for the second consecutive year, proving that even self-deprecation can’t overshadow undeniable talent. Before his rise in the competitive scene, Natty was primarily known for his stylish and creative combo videos, showcasing an impressive array of characters. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person events to a halt, Natty turned to netplay— and that’s when everything changed. The online grind became the catalyst for his rapid improvement, transforming him from a highlight reel creator into a serious tournament threat. With a deep roster of characters and an ever-evolving playstyle, Natty has carved out a name for himself on the biggest stages. Meanwhile, back home, the NorCal community continues to plead for his return to local tournaments, with community leader Paco’s infamous “Days Since Natty’s Last Local” counter approaching 500. But until that day comes, Natty will keep making waves where it matters most—at the world’s largest majors.
– Shihman
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
38. Heny935
It is no secret that Smash 64 is a difficult game to improve in given the veteran status that the majority of the community holds. Improvement is a slow, steady burn that can take years to come into fruition. Opportunities to prove yourself are far and few in-between, and it can be discouraging for many to not be able to overcome that obstacle as they traverse through each bracket.
However, that didn’t stop Adam “Heny935” Henderson from breaking that mold.
As one of the rising stars of the Northeast, bouncing between his home of Boston, Massachusetts and his college residence of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Heny has made significant breakthroughs in the competitive scene that have led him to gain profound respect from his peers. With a consistent friend & mentor in KD3, Heny was able to cement himself as one of the most dangerous, threatening Falcons there is, securing wins over the likes of Josh Brody, Hotline, Raychu, and The Yid this season. His explosive Captain Falcon has shocked many who come his way, and that’s not even taking his Pikachu or Donkey Kong into consideration.
Beyond his impressive wins, he has made Top 8 at the ever-so-stacked Frame 14, where he really left his mark as one of the game’s most impressive players that day. Beyond that, he has gotten 9th at Victory Road, and place in Top 32 at Keystoned VII, another incredibly packed tournament where many struggled to move forward through some of the community’s most fearsome opponents.
Heny is far from reaching his peak – he continues to improve day after day, showing others he will be reaching greater heights anytime soon. Where he will end up, only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: he is here to stay, and you will respect his name
– Cagt
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
37. Dmolz
Dmolz makes his debut into the top 64 rankings after being absolutely shafted last year! A Falcon main at heart with a Pikachu secondary, he has been on the rise these past few years. With impressive wins against B33F, PYT, and Lowww, it was only a matter of time before Dmolz made a grand entrance into the top 64 players. His Falcon is methodical, always executing combos with precision. Dmolz is also a technical player, having been a pupil of Mercy at the beginning of his smash career. He often flies under the radar at tournaments, catching players off guard with quick 2-0 victories. Keep an eye on Dmolz, as big things are expected from him in 2025!
– Waxy:joe
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
36. Raychu
On October 23, 2024 Ray “Raychu” Miller unexpectedly passed away at the age of 35. He was loved by many both inside and outside the Super Smash Bros. 64 community. Below is a place to share your stories and memories of Ray to pay homage to the wonderful person he was.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
35. Hooded
This guy moves fast and punishes hard. Hooded joined the Seattle scene 2 years ago and within his first year proved that he is THE player to beat in Washington. While known primarily for his Yoshi, his Kirby is no joke taking a huge set off of Crovy at Ghost Town 2. With a podium finish at Genesis and a willingness to continually evolve his game, the sky is the limit for Hooded as he continues his ascent up the North America ranks.
– ReefyBeefy
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
34. Killer
Getting another mention on the year-end rankings? Part of the old guard in a niche community? Big wins on top talent such as Crovy and Finio at Supernova?
Some would say it’s still too EZ for Killer.
Though he is generally only seen in long practice sessions on Wizzrobe’s stream, he still appears once in a blue Kirby moon, keyboard in tow, to remind the competition that he is still a threat. Killer has been a renowned figure in the scene since the bygone days of SmashBoards, Apex tournaments, and netplay matches on Hyrule. Over a decade later, he remains an imposing—yet enigmatic—force in brackets, capable of putting the toughest of opponents to the test.
– Supa
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
33. Paco
Jordan “Paco” Valdez makes his return to the Top 40 this year, bouncing back from a disappointing ranking last year and reaffirming his place with a Top 2 finish at Genesis X and a Top 32 placement at Supernova. A staple of the NorCal Smash 64 scene both as a player and a community leader, Paco has long been known for his consistent tech skill and unwavering dedication to the game.
With wins over players like JaimeHR and Joshi under his belt in prior years, Paco has proven he can go toe-to-toe with the best. Now, with his rank back on the rise, he’s once again reminding the world why he’s a constant threat in any bracket.
– Shihman
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
32. B33F
B33F is the essence and prototype of what it means to be a 64 player. He’s affable, he’s flashy, he plays the cast, and he knows how to have a damn good time. Regardless of how many beers he’s had the day before, how many spliffs he smoked, or how few hours (or minutes) of sleep he’s running on you can be sure that he’s giving it his all in every competitive bracket he’s able to participate in. B33F just wants to have a good time and play close sets in his favorite competitive game and there’s few things that will get in the way of him doing so. Inside and out of the game, it’s hard not to be a fan of him, as his joy for life and the game itself is so very evident and infectious. The Smashie-Award winning “Most Improved Player of the Year” managed to build up an impressive resume of taking names – beating highly skilled players like Antwon420, Andykins, PYT, JPX, The Yid, Raychu, CTG, Huntsman, and ReefyBeefy. With an almost undefinable ceiling, it’s hard to know how far up B33F will punch up as long as he’s able to actualize his version of Smash.
– Dogs_Johnson & Queso
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
31. Qapples
From the innocent days of neutral B’ing Korobeniki back at Let’s Go Baltimore to present day, Qapples has turned into an absolute monster at platform fighting games. Young Qap was ranked second in the Smash Online 2020 rankings, next to only Superboomfan – all with his lightning fast Kirby. Qapples managed to fend off Northeast talent such as MHJ and dmolz in his D1 pool at Supernova while also taking a set off Hotline. He also managed to take Crovy to the distance in a tense set that went all the way to game 5, but eventually fell to him for an impressive 17th place finish. These days his focus has shifted more towards Rivals of Aether – where he placed 19th on the Season 6 rankings for the game using another character with multiple jumps. Whether he’s focused on Smash, Rivals 1, or 2, we all know Qapples can make huge waves in whatever game captivates his interest when he sets his mind to it.
– Dogs_Johnson
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
I have a lot of great memories of Ray; meals before and after tournaments, watching him play music for everyone in the venue at Frame, or even just small moments chatting between sets and asking how our tournaments were going. But the memory that sticks out most is from a time that Ray came down from New York for one of our weekly tournaments in Connecticut. I don’t remember how the tournament went, it didn’t matter, but a few of us decided to go out afterwards for food. Fireblaster, Hotline, Ray, and I went to a local diner, it was approaching midnight, and we got some coffee and diner breakfast and we talked about nothing in particular. A carefree time spent among friends, I remember a lot of laughter and I remember trying to think about the fact that I had to wake up for work in about four hours.
We stepped outside after we finished eating and stood on the sidewalk chatting while we waited for Ray’s fiancé to come by and pick him up. Eventually, a man approahced us and started talking with us, and things turned a bit intense so we all decided to leave and get in our cars. Since Ray was waiting for his ride, I had him jump in my car and we drove a few blocks and parked in a CVS parking lot while we waited. We sat in my car and listened to music, talking about our favorite bands and songs we liked. Ray’s knowledge and passion for music was truly special, he knew every obscure artist I would throw on and he would have thoughts about all of them. Ray was a musical genius with no exaggeration, prodigiously talented and knowledgeable. He had suggestions of things I might like based on what we were listening to, and he seemed to be right every time. We sat there for a bit while we waited and I’ve never forgotten that short bit of time just hanging out, nothing to do with Smash, even though it had brought us together. Just a great conversation with a friend, one of the nicest and most genuine guys you could ever hope to meet. I miss you, Ray.
I mentioned it before somewhere but Ray was keeping my car safe at his place while I’ve resided here in the east coast. We also went down to The Lab together and had a very enthralling and inspiriting conversation– ranging from music, desires, life…bit of smash bros too I guess.
I told him how peculiar it felt that I’ve known him in passing– as he was an online player even back in 2016.
Despite this– he was unbelievably warm and receptive towards me, as if we had just been an old bud catching up after all this time. I’ve never had anyone be that way towards me– ever.
I don’t want to let me sentiment overtake me so I’m just going to cut myself short. My feelings are inexplicably messy and words don’t do much justice.
I miss him dearly. The very last message he ever sent me was him telling me that he enjoyed the presence of my vehicle, and that it gave him peace. 🙁
I met Ray at a low tier tourney at The Lab and immediately knew he was a unique guy. Over the years we had some good back and forths and I can honestly say I’ve had nothing but great times around him.
When someone passes you always hear people say things like, “he’s one of the nicest people,” and with Ray it couldn’t be more true. Easily one of the most genuine people in the entire community and he will always be missed
When I went to SSC 2022 I was pretty broke so I planned on skipping breakfast every day, but I didn’t have to thanks to Ray bringing food to share with everyone in the Airbnb. I don’t think it ever took anybody very long to notice how kind of a person Ray was. Thank you Ray for inspiring me with Ness ideas that I’d never come up with on my own, and for igniting my drive to compete offline with the character and race you towards the top.
I have never met anybody like Ray, and I don’t think I ever will again. Truly selfless, endlessly talented, just the greatest guy you could get to know. 64 doubles will never quite be the same for me again. Forever thankful for all that he did for me and the time we spent together.
I met Raychu at I believe at Smashcon 2017 and always had good sets and good conversations with him. He was a down to earth person and the community without him is missing a large amount of it’s heart and soul.
I’ve known Ray for about as long as I have been in the smash scene. He was always someone I would look forward to seeing at every tournament. Since we were in similar regions it seemed like every tourney I attended Raychu was there and he was always one of the first people who would come up to me and say hello. He never called me waxy he only called me beans which was my tag for 2 tournaments in 2017. Other than being one of the nicest people in the community he was also one of the sickest players in the community. Raychu is the only player that I don’t have to see a tag or a face to know who was playing. His ness combos were unique to him. Wish I would’ve told Raychu just how amazing of a person he was. Raychu serves as a reminder of why I am in this community, it’s not my love of smash but my love of the people who play smash.
Ray was someone I always looked forward to talking to at tournaments. He was the sweetest, bonding over and offering me seltzers at brackets was a must. He invited me to his place before one of the keystoned’s and cooked a nice meal for me, boba, waxy and himself. I’ll always remember that kindness. I miss you Ray, you will always be my hero.
Ray was an incredibly talented person and was somebody that so many people looked forward to seeing at an event. I was lucky enough to get to know him through years of seeing him at Lab events, as well as many other tournaments throughout PA and surrounding scenes. There are barely any other players I’ve played more in tournament, and almost nobody was more fun to play with or root for. I’ll never forget hanging out with him at countless Lab tournaments, smash fests, Super Smash Cons, and more. Ray was an incredibly kind and pleasant person, was unlike anybody I’ve ever met before, and his loss is felt by so many people in our community.
Miss you man.
I had the privilege of seeing Raychu grow into the monster Ness that he became and I always cheered him on along the way. At the few events I’ve gone to he was one of the people who I was most looking forward to chat with. His name will forever be one that comes to mind when I think of Smash 64 and the scene.