We have reached the final ten players of EURank 2023. Any one of these players is capable of winning major European tournaments, so let us see who can call themselves “top ten in Europe” for the foreseeable future.
Previous Articles:
#10: LunarySSF2 | Score: 10.94
As somebody who finds watching and discussing Melee one of my favourite ways to enjoy the game, there are few things that often surprise me. There are fewer players who I would refer to as “exciting”. LunarySSF2 is one of them. In the past, his aggressive and flashy playstyle was arguably Lunary’s downfall. A player considered to be far more capable than some of his tournament results would represent, accentuated by his unorthodox choice of a Marth Falcon dual main. In 2023, Lunary looked to shake off this conception, and achieved his best season yet. With wins over Frenzy, Fat Tino, Jah Ridin, $TYN, and managing to become the undisputed Belgian number 1 through his consistent victories over hometown rival Feradit. There are a lot of things to say about Lunary, but the person with the most to say about it is Lunary himself. He defied expectations throughout 2023, and undoubtedly is going to show us nothing but surprises going into a bright 2024.
- Patrick “Kingu” King
#9: max | Score: 9.15
Being the most travelled player from the UK has made max a staple of any European Major, and given him one of the widest range of head-to-heads among the rest of Europe’s top 50. While this may have been at the cost of some consistency in results, it has also given max the opportunity for strong placements out of region, including a 2nd place finish at both Somnio and Somnio 3 and a 1st place at DSEA: Winter 2023, with wins over Madness and Aaron. In his own region max has continued to be an equally volatile presence at any tournament he attends, ranging from taking the tournament Jamboree over Professor Pro to playing Falco dittos in pools against Deathgazer.
max’s shenanigans were not just limited to the European continent. He was among the most travelled Europeans in 2023, attending a total of three North American majors: Battle of BC 5, Get On My Level 2023, and The Big House 11. At these events, the sunglasses-wearing stylish Sheik picked up multiple notable wins, the highlight being his win against the 49th ranked player on SSBMRank 2023, Khryke. We are excited to see max give even more top 50 players a run for their money this year.
- Nicki & Patrick “Kingu” King
#8: Fat Tino | Score: 8.10
In a previous article, I described Professor Pro as the undisputed face of UK Melee. In recent time, however, there is one other player who has started to step up to that plate, that being Fat Tino. Made infamous by the iconic “TIIIIIIIIINOOOOOO” chant, Tino lives up to this hype by having one of the cleanest and fastest rising Falcos in the region.
Going from the very clear number 5 in 2022, Tino absolutely shattered expectations in 2023 by becoming the only player since Setchi to challenge the upper echelon of the UK. With his phenomenal performance at Crescendo, being the only UK player to take a tournament off of both Prof and Frenzy, coupled with unwavering consistency out of region, there was a period of time where Tino looked to become the new number 1. Backed up by his numerous wins on players such as max, Moe, Kingu, Luke and Jamie, Fat Tino is poised to become one of the true international European threats going into 2024. And with it, so is the equally threatening European chant.
- Patrick “Kingu” King
#7: Jah Ridin’ | Score: 6.38
Uncertain about how much further he can push Luigi’s results for a good chunk of 2023, Jah Ridin’ made the decision to give his goal of leaving his mark on the SSBM Top100 one final attempt. And leaving his mark he did: achieving the rank of 94th worldwide, the Swiss plumber (accompanied by his home scene and their supportive “NEUCHÂTEL” chants) finally found relief in achieving his lifelong goal, gaining a new found motivation to achieve any future competitive endeavors. Be it as a coach for his fellow Swiss competitors, or as your favorite mid-tier to root for at in-person events, we look forward to seeing Switzerland’s №1 goofy plumber and his limbo skills climb the boulder that is the global rankings even further.
- 1tab
#6: Professor Pro | Score: 6.07
This is it. Professor Pro has retired. The seemingly never ending era of a man so good and loved by the international community and even more by the UK scene is finally closing after a picture-perfect final year.
The bittersweet goodbye at PEAK, the best rivalry of Europe™ with Frenzy coming to an end, gives us the feeling that the likely flashiest top player ever did everything right to make us wish he would continue playing.
The cherry on top: His Santa Paws run. As if Aaron Thomas’ insane resume of wins against Frenzy, Fat Tino, max and Rikzz was not enough, he had to prove himself one more time getting 7th at a US national. The green Fox was able to beat Wevans, Slowking and fan favorite n0ne only getting stopped by Fox-Falco Matchup expert Magi and yours truly #1: Cody Schwab.
All storylines are finished. What is there left to say? As a retired gamer you have lots of free time, and you promised to hang around at some point again. But better be sure you have done everything that has to be done, because be honest Aaron: Have you seen Restlesswhale’s hand signed copy of “Click” yet?
- astar
#5: Nicki | Score: 3.93
2019 feels like an eternity ago when Germany’s up-and-coming Fox Nicki catapulted to the Top 100 — an amazing accomplishment followed up with a retreat from the national spotlight. Sure, he’s still known for being Europe’s premier shitposter, blessing timelines with Among Us references and “upgamer” retorts — but especially after switching mains to ICs in the Slippi era, few outside his immediate circle understood how good he still was.
Nicki entered 18 tournaments in 2023. He won 17 of them. At his lone second place finish, Avant la Fête, he demonstrated his meticulous punish by nobbling out wins on European powerhouses Professor Pro and Jah’ Ridin, then nearly overcame Trif in a nail-biting Game 5 ICs-Peach showdown. Nicki’s 2023 return has been nothing short of spectacular: he has proven that he is better than he has ever been, and the question of how high he can climb still remains unanswered. But even as impressive as his growing competitive achievements are, they are eclipsed by the even greater impact he’s made as a community leader.
Nicki’s dedication to the European Melee scene is unmatched — he’s been the last person to leave the venue to help clean up after winning events, he offers Melee lessons, and he maintains rank 1 on Slippi’s EU Leaderboards. And when he recognized the absence of an updated European Melee ranking, he did what any good crewmate would do — called an emergency meeting, and led the charge to showcase Europe’s talent for the first time in 4 years. Nicki is an unsung hero of European Melee, and if you enjoyed these rankings, make sure his tireless effort doesn’t go unnoticed.
- Justin “DarkGenex” Cohen
#4: Solobattle | Score: 3.85
Solobattle is a name that has been a mainstay and household name for many years at this point, not only in Europe but occasionally making appearances in the US. In his own region of Finland, this Shakespearean tragedy has been firmly the number one player since the end of 2018 and he’s not showing any sign of dropping more than the occasional set vs fellow Finnish player Raptori. His 2023 resume consists of home region dominance and being the highest placing European at Arcamelee #4, landing at a solid 5th place. On his route to 5th place, he took down players like LunarySSF2, Spark, Foxy Grandpa and finally Trif which had the crowd cheering for Solobattle like few other floatie matchups would. In his post-tourney tweet, he said the following words:
5th at Arcamelee.
I’m a shakespearian tragedy.
I’m dynamite.
I’m fire without water.
They call me the caviar of the south.
Locally he’s the chill person who enters almost anything, ranging from netplay tourneys with less than 10 people to the biggest Finnish events. At those events he’s willing to discuss almost any topic with you, regardless of who you are. All this while you unknowingly signed up for getting 3-stocked by his tertiary Ness or Donkey Kong when you sat down at the friendly setup.
At this point it’s mostly the question of when will Solobattle be given the chance to travel and beat your favourite top 100 ranked player — his ability to do so can no longer be doubted.
- Acke & Jekku
#3: Frenzy | Score: 3.77
There are few images more iconic within UK Melee than that of Professor Pro and Frenzy, sitting side by side in grand finals. Defined in earlier years by his dedication to toppling the former number 1, a dedication that went so deep as to have watched every single Professor Pro set on Youtube, 2023 was the first year that that throne had a successor.
With such huge (and small) shoes to fill, Frenzy did nothing but deliver, dropping a single regional to Fat Tino, while maintaining an absurdly impressive 17–2 record over Kingu, 7–0 over max, and picking up such European wins as Pricent, Jah Ridin’, Sharp and Rikzz. The new UK number 1 is looking to mirror the dominant stranglehold the region is so used to, and seems poised to do it going into 2024.
- Patrick “Kingu” King
#2: Pipsqueak | Score: 2.87
Does this guy need an introduction? I think not, but he definitely deserves one. Pipsqueak was part of a larger group of European players who climbed the ranks starting in the late post-documentary era in 2017, and it became clear early on that this Fox has something that puts him a step above his peers. With his good results in 2019, one might expect that COVID and the lack of in-person tournaments in 2020 and 2021 would slow him down, but Pipsqueak used the months that we all had to spend at home better than any other Melee competitor in Europe. He was a dominant force in the SAME circuit in 2021, which is when he started beating players such as Professor Pro and Ice in a way that made it look almost too easy. 2022 came and the Pipsqueak stocks just kept rising in value, with him winning the NA tournament Low Tide City. Later in the year he then beat Hungrybox at Smash Summit 14 and Mang0 at Ludwig Smash Invitational. Those are arguably some pretty decent wins, resulting in him being ranked #20 worldwide.
Pipsqueak’s 2023 was a bit more quiet than his 2022. He started the year by placing 25th at Genesis 9 with wins over Panda and bobby big ballz. He won Smash Sauna 2023 in dominant fashion, defeating Sharp, Solobattle and abbe without too many issues. He then placed just out of the top 8 at Fête 3: By the Sea and made it into the top 8 at Arcamelee #4. These tournaments also saw the emergence of the Pipsheik on the largest stage, showing that his Captain Falcon has been mostly replaced by an even scarier Sheik that nowadays gets subbed in for multiple relevant character matchups.
It does not matter if Pip is playing Fox, Sheik, or anything else — he is a joy to be around, one of the best Melee players Europe has to offer, and an overall great and funny guy. I’m sure I am not alone when I say that I cannot wait to see him again at future tournaments.
- Nicki
#1: Trif | Score: 1.00
Swedish legends like EK, Armada, and Leffen once ruled European Melee in a seemingly insurmountable dynasty. Yet, after 11 years, the Swedish dominion was finally conquered, thanks to self-dubbed “B*TCH OF MELEE”. Enter Trif: the Spaniard whose verbose, emoji-laden tweets are unmatched. His one-of-a-kind art history inspired wardrobe, his energetic demeanor and his chaotic TikTok could only come from someone with as beautiful a mind as Trif’s.
Hovering mercilessly above Dream Land’s top platform, Trif’s formidable defense endlessly frustrates opponents — to the point where he was voted the “#2 Campiest Player in the world” by fellow top talent. This misunderstood tactical brilliance has rewarded him with unwavering consistency. This year, Trif placed 9th or above at every major he attended: a remarkable distinction which eludes even several of the world’s top 10 players. With landmark wins over KoDoRiN, Zuppy, Axe, and a plethora of Top 30 talent, Trif boasts incredible results against players just under major contention. Additionally, Trif is the sole player this year on the EU rankings to have slain a top 10 player, thanks to vanquishing aMSa at LACS5.
With Armada retired and Leffen on hiatus, the era of Swedes has ended, and a new reign begins. Long live the king 💅💅💅.
- Justin “DarkGenex” Cohen
One final time: Thank you for reading, and thank you to everyone who made EURank 2023 possible. The EURank team, the panelists, the blurb writers, the proofreaders; many people came together to make this project a reality, and we could not be happier with how it turned out.
See you all next year?
The EURank Team
Dominik “Nicki” Kunze — Director
Wout “Noxxa” van Poppel — Assistant Director & Data Lead
Nago — Assistant Director & Data Collection
EuO — Data Collection
Ambisinister — Data Processing
zondy — chill viber
Filip “Flippy” Tengwall — Graphics Lead
Brendan “GimmeDatWheat” Malone — Consultation
