We are at the halfway mark of EURank 2023. Today we are revealing ranks 30 through 21, including 5 Frenchmen, one Donkey Kong, and some of the best spacie players among their home countries.
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#30: Madness | Score: 30.77
Don’t be fooled by his enticing smile or his charming demeanor: Madness is here to win, no matter what it takes. As the best plumber in France, he’s determined to conquer Europe.
2023 has been a fruitful year in terms of international wins for the Parisian Luigi. He secured victories over Xin & King at DSEA Winter, HoorayForJay & HappyMealz at Arcamelee #4, $tyn & Epikfaal at the Somnio series, and the list goes on. His performance at Fête 3 was particularly notable, where he once again triumphed over his long-time nemesis, Skullbro. Additionally, he had the opportunity to showcase his skills to one of the world’s greatest players, Amsa, by taking a game off him. Majors and nationals aren’t the only events that draw Madness; he’s also eager to attend locals whenever possible, even if it means hitting the road for several hours.
Madness is not only an experienced player but also a dedicated tournament organizer in the Parisian scene. Alongside the Paris Smash Gang and Koka, he managed to host France’s most exciting weekly event, “Pépite Stadium.” When he wins his own event, you can’t call it money laundering, as he eagerly reinvests his earnings back into the prize pool for the next tournament.
When he’s not organizing or competing, you can find him behind the camera. He’s known in the French scene as “Baku’s camera guy.” With his charisma, formidable gameplay, and great TOing skills, it’s nearly impossible not to admire Madness.
- MelvilSmith
#29: NekoKaze | Score: 30.47
When it comes to Slippi kids, NekoKaze is one of the first names that comes to mind. Formerly an Osu player, he started to play Melee during covid era with a crew of french prodigies called “BG”, short for “Bagarre Gang”. They humbly describe themselves as “Melee enjoyers”.
NekoKaze rapidly climbed through the French ranking with his fast paced & technical Sheik, taking many names in 2023. Starting off strong with a second place at the most stacked parisian event, Pepite Stadium, only losing to raoul. He struck fear in the hearts of many players, such as LunarySSF2 who considered him his “bracket demon”.
So many platforms were visited by the cracked Sheik as he attended almost 30 in-person tournaments last year. Of all performances, his run at Arcamelee #4 is the most memorable one. Finishing 13th as the highest placing French player, where he bested King, Psylo, irfan and Aaron.
After such a packed year, NekoKaze might slow down a bit. But be sure, he will always enjoy Melee, going for every cheesy wall jump fair edgeguard he can. You’re not going to forget this mischievous Sheik. En légende mec.
- MelvilSmith
#28: Mahie | Score: 28.45
Mahie is a calm and elegant player who always seems to be present. With such longevity in the French scene, one might think he’s just an old-timer muttering about how everything was better back in the old days. But no, Mahie is not afraid of change! Formerly known as a blue Marth main playing on a GameCube controller, he is now a blue Falco rectangle enthusiast.
In 2023, he primarily attended nationals and majors. He dominated the second edition of Somnio by winning both the singles and doubles Melee brackets with his longtime teammate and fellow countryman, Psylo. They defeated some of the Netherlands’ greatest players on their home turf, including Aaron, Noon, and Skullbro. His performance at Fête 3 was also impressive, finishing 25th in singles and 7th in doubles alongside Irfan.
His Fox in doubles truly embodies the depth of his understanding of the game and its entire cast. He’s a player who can adapt to his partner and opponents alike. Thanks to his curiosity, experience, and, of course, dedication to the advice from ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’, Mahie remains a lasting figure in the European scene.
- MelvilSmith
#27: Humpe | Score: 28.43
Humpe has been the strongest Falco in Sweden for many years now, and whilst not the most active player locally, it’s a treat when he attends tournaments to let everyone know he’s still one of the best players in the country. As one of the most consistent players Sweden has ever had, I cannot think of a single time Humpe has underperformed in bracket. Even after being active for so long, don’t think for a second that Humpes playstyle might be outdated, as his Falco is still one of the nastiest to ever do it. A staple of Swedish Melee, always helpful to players asking for advice, and a really funny guy to top it off. Infinite bullets baby.
- Flippy
#26: Risc | Score: 28.04
After a brief stint as a Sheik main from the start of 2021, Risc settled into 2023 ready to prove what he had proven before: his Donkey Kong is a force to be reckoned with. He immediately surprised everyone by snagging a win against max at Somnio 2 in an already difficult matchup made harder by the talent of a young and eager upstart.
Despite facing this potentially daunting new peak, he remained disciplined and found success again at Fête 3 where had the deepest run of any of his peers, be it Dutch player or DK main. With wins against Mahie, Branspeed, saftblandarN and Tony Bomboni on his way to securing an extremely impressive 13th place finish, no one can deny he has proven his point.
This Amsterdam Donkey Kong has given everyone all the more reason to fear the ape lurking deep in the bracket. But perhaps more importantly, he has given us all the priceless insight that tiers won’t always define our success. Sometimes it’s better to stick to the characters we truly believe in, no matter their perceived limits.
- RestlessWhale
#25: Parsecco | Score: 28.00
Parsecco is back! Whenever you think Parsecco might have had enough, he stretches back into the active scene and puts some names in the dirt. The “I haven’t played in months” into destroying the Berlin weeklies “JeDo”, is a true combo the German Fox has perfected in the most casual way imaginable.
Some would believe that Parsecco would be satisfied with this combo, but they are dead wrong: He does it on the big stage, too! With set wins over astar and irfan at the German national HTS#12, Blackh4ze and King at German online Circuit NDM or even beating noon and Mr.Rit at Arcamelee #4, placing 33rd only losing to Pipsqueak and Moe, the beloved gamer boasts great results with medium attendance and probably even less grinding.
With his great dash dance, rocksolid punish game and edgeguards, creative move selection and the occasional crazy mindgame, the German powerhouse excels in something that is often overlooked: fundamentals. That is why Parsecco is a threat to almost everyone he faces without playing nearly as much as them. In a different world, this skilled player trains a little bit more and beats everyone in Europe like we know he is capable of, but for now we can only hope and say:
“Congratulations on your run!”
- astar
#24: Happymealz | Score: 27.05
This Rotterdam rectangle Fox main went on an adventure this year. He set out to attend every tournament under the sun and developed one of the most diverse resumes of this year in the process. Wins on players from almost every single significant Melee region in Europe (and the US, Canada AND Australia) has shown that Europe’s foremost traveler has done everything he could to showcase his talents on any and every stage.
Lest you think this is a case of an inflated ranking from traveling a lot, he did the most damage at the countless domestic events he attended. Over the course of the year, he established winning records on his fellow countryman skullbro, Belgian invader LunarySSF2, and an even 1–1 record against his fellow Fox main $TYN. These wins awarded him a 5th place on the 2023 Netherlands PR and judging from him starting his 2024 with a couple of tournaments in the United States, it looks like this frequent flyer is not stopping anytime soon!
- nago
#23: raoul | Score: 23.47
France truly is raoul’s playground. Whenever he attends a tournament without strong foreign competition, it’s pretty safe to bet on his Fox to take the trophy. Browse through his tournament history and try not to find a 1st place finish — it will be quite the challenge.
raoul is undeniably a hard working Fox, always striving for greatness. It’s as if he works 1000 times harder than anyone else. A perfectionist and harsh critic of himself, don’t be surprised if he concludes his post-win interview with “meh… I didn’t play great” while not having dropped a single game.
2023 was a calmer year for raoul in Melee, as he didn’t attend many events and focused on other challenges in life. As you may know, Melee unfortunately doesn’t pay the bills. Raoul is still trying to find his balance in the European competitive scene. Dominating the competition at nationals, with wins over Mahie, Tekk and Jah Ridin’, he is yet to replicate his performance at majors to honor his abilities. Being France’s number one player felt like a curse for this aggressive Fox. Hopefully it will become a blessing in the coming years.
- MelvilSmith
#22: Tekk | Score: 23.42
Tekk back in 2015 was a different breed of Jigglypuff than players like Hungrybox and Prince Abu would have led you to believe the character was capable of. Tekk was known for his rest sequences that would happen seemingly out of nowhere. The first Youtube result for Tekk is a GRSmash video with 156 thousand views, showing off his ability to hit insane rests. Tekk has seen less major appearances since his run to make top 50 in the world in 2015, but 2023 saw two major appearances, Fête 3 and Arcamelee #4, which was a very welcome surprise to some of us. EU Melee has been blessed by another Puff known for their insane rests, but Tekk will always be the first Puff in France’s mind. Some of the smaller events in 2023 were proof that he is still capable of winning over some of Europe’s finest with wins on Jah Ridin’, Touffe, Madness, Mahie and NekoKaze.
- SRM13
#21: skullbro | Score: 22.38
The best European Dr. Mario main had a very interesting 2023. Having landed himself in 4th place on the Dutch PR, you might think it has been a disappointing year for him. If you ask skullbro, however, he will tell you that he has only gotten better. Despite the rapid improvement of his competition in the Netherlands, he has shown admirable consistency within his home country, never finishing outside 5th at Dutch tournaments and winning the last edition of legendary tournament series Djoekenborg.
In previous years, his seasons were primarily highlighted by strong international performances and strong, but not dominant, showings at domestic events. This year he looked to have switched that trend, picking up wins on any Frenchman that dared to enter the Low Country, such as Mahie, Madness and NekoKaze. Between those wins and the sets he won against Velani and max, he has clearly shown he still has what it takes to defend his territory. Internationally, he managed to recover from a mediocre showing at Fête 3: By The Sea with a strong 25th place finish at Arcamelee #4, where he managed to grind out wins in difficult matchups against Tony Bomboni and Raptori. Skullbro might not be #1 in the Netherlands anymore, but he still reminds us never to underestimate the power of a skilled craftsman.
- nago & Strompel
Tomorrow’s release features the lower half of the top 20 — the extra-heavy hitters. Let’s see who made it, and congratulations to those who were ranked today!
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
