The PMRank 2019 top 30 begins with a few familiar faces, as well as some making their grand debuts.
PMRank is a panel-based Power Ranking of the top 50 Project M and Project+ players worldwide. Players, commentators, and tournament organizers within the community had the opportunity to apply to be panelists, and we ended up with a little less than 20 panelists by the time of the project's conclusion. Initially, 70 players were qualified to be ranked based on their placings and attendance at major Project M/+ events throughout 2019. Only 50 highly skilled players made the final list.
PMRank staff collected and organized data from dozens of Project M/+ events from the past year, seeking out tournaments with significant inter-regional competition. Panelists were tasked with reviewing this data and ranking each player in order, from #1 to #70. For each player, the highest and lowest rankings on all panelists’ lists were removed when averaging votes to reduce variance. After an initial ballot, panelists were given time to discuss the aggregated results and move closer to consensus in the case of players with high standard deviations. Then, panelists submitted a second and final ballot.
This project would not have been possible without the dedicated volunteers who helped us engineer spreadsheets, track down tournament data, construct head-to-head charts, create and revise ranking ballots, write and edit player summaries, and gather photographs. A number of photographers have given us permission to use their high-quality photographs of Project M/+ players for the purposes of this project as well.
Mickey “Tealz” Coates makes his triumphant return to PMRank 2019 after a set of summer performances that surpass even his 2017 peaks. Although he started the beginning of the year out of practice, which resulted in losses to reslived and Digimon at Neon Genesix Evangelion, he began to take PM more seriously once again heading into the summer. In pools of Smash‘N’Splash 5, Tealz defeated Rongunshu in a shocking upset before placing 33rd at the tournament with losses to American Bowser and Bubbles. On his home turf,Tealz continued to take names, placing 9th at The Encore after defeating Mr. Watch & Learn, Motobug, and Sabre, before rounding out 2019 with one of the strangest brackets of his career at Smash Camp: End of Summer. After a round one loss in pools to Egg$, Tealz advanced to make top 32 on losers’ side and eliminated Dirtboy, knocking the 3rd seed of the event out early. Despite his inconsistency, the highlights displayed by Tealz throughout 2019 warrant a strong placing on this year’s PMRank top 50, and make him a threat at any major should he continue to focus his attention on competing in Project M.
Written By: Sabre
Despite attending primarily in-state tournaments, Giovanny “ilovebagelz” Garcia was able to preserve PMRank status by beating the competition that came to him. Without traveling far, Bagelz managed to defeat several out-of-state competitors to appear on PMRank for his 4th time in a row—a feat few players have matched. As a testament to his skill, ilovebagelz has improved or at least maintained his ranking each year as well. This year at 5:00 PM Fights: Film Fest, he placed 3rd by only losing to Sneez twice. On the way, he beat fellow Arizona player Cloudburst as well as the SoCal challenger, Nezergy. At Smash Camp: End of Summer, he placed even higher by defeating a wide variety of opponents. His first win in bracket was previously-ranked Aero, and although he would lose to Dumshiny in the very next round, Bagelz maintained his momentum throughout losers’ bracket. There, he would accumulate a wide regional variety of wins, such as Qtip, Arsenals, Poilu, Fearless, and even the rematch against Sneez before reaching Grand Finals. While he lost to Boringman, there was no doubt after Smash Camp: End of Summer that Bagelz continues to be a slippery threat at any tournament. At the very end of the year, he would defend Arizona against East Coast invader Narq at 5:00 PM Fights: Reindeer Games. Ilovebagelz has maintained his position from 2018—will he continue to climb, as he did in previous years?
Written By: Pegthaniel
PMRank veteran and Connecticut resident Nick "Flipp" Filippides makes yet another mark on the top 50, despite having a tough year compared to his prior track record. Where his Snake was once the model of tenacity and consistency, 2019 Flipp attended fewer qualifying events and experienced more variability in his results. Make no mistake, though – Flipp still has an enviable set of achievements backing his rank up. At the first event he attended this year, "I Can't Beelieve It's Not 3.6!," Flipp took down New England threats Motobug, Bees, and Anthony to place 3rd after falling to the claws of Switch and Kycse. At Blacklisted 5, he was able to take down DVD, ranked #10 on PMRank 2018, in the first round of winner’s bracket before falling to Switch again in Winners Quarters. Afterwards, Flipp's bracket run ended early thanks to Twisty, who had just defeated Flipp’s CT compatriot Kycse At Resting Stitch Face 2, Flipp was able to defeat PMRank newcomer Narq with his secondary Falco to make it into winners’ side of top 24. In top bracket, however, Flipp would fall to Rongunshu in Winners Quarters and face an uncharacteristic elimination by Motobug to finish at 9th place. It remains to be seen whether Flipp in 2020 will seek to re-ignite the spark that propelled him to top 10 placements in years prior.
Written By: Motobug
Coming off of an amazing breakout year in 2018 by anyone’s standards, Ivan “Ivayne” Castaneda had a lot to prove in 2019, and despite his low attendance this year, he showed up big at some of the year’s most stacked events. After an unremarkable performance at Neon Genesix Evangelion where he placed 5th following game 5 losses to The Doctor and Sugydye, Ivayne made a great run at Smash‘N’Splash 5, his sole event outside of California for the year. There, he secured two impressive victories by defeating both Bubbles and ex-PMRank Marshall to face off against ThundeRzReiGN. Although he took his fellow NorCal competitor and former #1 player in the world to game 5, he ultimately fell short and was later eliminated by rising Midwest Game & Watch player Drugfreechu. At The Encore, Ivayne once again proved a strong competitor against a field eager to upset him, taking sets over both Nezergy and Tealz before being eliminated by Sugydye and Rongunshu. With no notably poor losses or unexpected wins for Ivayne this year, he settled in as a gatekeeper for anyone seeking to advance into the upper echelon of PMRank, somewhere he’ll no doubt be seeking to return himself come 2020.
Written By: Sabre
For years a strong regional threat known for his ardent dedication to his signature Donkey Kong, Noah “Nogh” Sundook began to expand both his travel itinerary and his character roster in 2019. His first event of the ranking period was Smash’N’Splash 5, where he picked up a win on perennially PMRank Squirtle main Dirtboy before losing to East Coast titans Switch and Twisty. After a relatively quiet Smash Camp where he still managed to pick up a win on top Melee player and notable PM threat n0ne, Nogh’s breakout performance this year came at Lazer Lazer 20, a Tennessee regional featuring players from up and down the East Coast. After going down 0-2 as Donkey Kong to renowned Midwest Dedede player Ripple, Nogh brought out Ivysaur, his local rival Cala’s main character. Looking to take advantage of the notoriously bad matchup for Dedede, his Ivysaur would prove a solid choice as he brought the set back for a 3-2 victory. Nogh continued his momentum immediately after this set by using another character he was not previously known for, Bowser, to claim victory over MPGR’s #44 Morsecode762. After going up 2-0 as Bowser, and then losing a game with both Bowser and Donkey Kong, he decided to stick to his secondary Bowser in game 5 and emerged victorious. Despite low activity for most of the year, when Nogh did travel he made the most of it, traveling far and beating top level players at every event he attended. With a newly minted arsenal of characters, Nogh goes into 2020 with high hopes for his Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Ivysaur.
Written By: Nick
One of the most active players this past year, Spencer “Mr. Watch & Learn” McLaughlin's strong performances at many tournaments earns him his first placement ever on PMRank. Attending seven tournaments in the ranking period, Mr. Watch & Learn started his year strong at Judgement 3 in Connecticut. After picking up wins on Yung Quaff, Motobug, and Twisty, he reached winners’ side of Grand Finals, but Yung Quaff won two game 5 sets forcing Mr. Watch & Learn to settle for a 2nd place finish. Mr. Watch & Learn carried that momentum forwards through the next few tournaments he attended. In the New England area, he defeated Twisty, Arsenals, and PMRank 2017’s #49 Kumatora at In the Nick of Time, then picked up a win on PMRank 2017’s #15 Phresh at Blacklisted 5. His one subpar tournament was Smash’N’Splash 5, where he endured losses to Pooch/Enzo and Epic Murloc, but this would not be nearly enough to deter his progress. Traveling out west to Texas, Mr. Watch & Learn defeated the Lucario Texas-defender, Fearless, at Low Tier City 7. The Game & Watch main’s next big showing came at The Encore in SoCal, where he defeated Aidan, Connor, and Arsenals, all in game 5 sets. Mr. Watch & Learn would end his year off on a spectacular note at Resting Stitch Face 2, defeating Flarp, Narq, and New York hidden boss Aklo, a Fox and Link dual main with wins over Gallo and Kycse. With all the experience and wins he has gathered this year from traveling throughout the country, including tournaments across six different states, Mr. Watch & Learn emerges from the background of the stacked New York region and asserts himself as a national threat worthy of Top 25 on this year’s PMRank.
Written By: Nick
Chris “ORLY” Brittain has long been known as a strong Captain Falcon player with the potential to beat every other player at any of the countless midwest tournaments he’s attended over the last few years. He bolstered this legacy in 2019 by performing well at five of the six qualifying midwest tournaments he attended, and surprising everyone (except fellow Illinois players, probably) with his extremely impressive 2nd place finish at the Illinois regional SPRING TRAINING. ORLY started his bracket run with a 2-1 victory over Comb before earning one of the best wins of his career: a 2-1 over techboy. He immediately followed up with an equally impressive 3-0 over Morsecode762 and almost repeated the feat against Sothe in Winners Finals before Sothe pulled off a reverse 3-0 comeback. In Losers Finals, ORLY also managed another win against Morsecode762 in a close rematch, after which he lost 1-3 to Sothe to finish at 2nd place. Outside of SPRING TRAINING, ORLY earned wins over Connor, Wyld, and LSDX at various regionals as well as a victory over Sabre at Low Tier City 7. Unfortunately, he could not maintain the amazing level of play he demonstrated at SPRING TRAINING, as he had some disappointing losses to players such as Uma Thurman, Luck, and Marshall throughout the rest of the year. ORLY clearly has peaks that rival those of a top 10 level player, so if he can reduce the frequency of his occasional low points, we should expect to see him continue to terrify Project M’s top players with his aggressive Falcon.
Written By: Connor
Long a dominant local force in Massachusetts, Thomas “Silver” Manning progresses further up in PMRank this year thanks to his unparalleled Fox and Falco. Traditionally ranked #1 in Massachusetts over Twisty, Motobug, and Flarp, Silver’s increasing attendance and improving performance at larger events produced a climb in the national ranks. The dual space animal main began his year at In the Nick of Time, where he took down Northeast heavy hitters Flarp, Narq, Mr. Watch & Learn, and Anthony, leading to a 2nd place finish to Switch, a bracket demon for the entire East Coast. At the next northeast monthly, “I Can’t Beelieve It’s Not 3.6!”, Silver picked up where he left off by defeating local rivals Twisty and Anthony. Smash’N’Splash 5 saw Silver pick up even more PMRank victories in FlashingFire and Mr. Watch & Learn. His year would close back at home with Blacklisted 5, where he placed 17th and garnered victories over vortex and ~CP9~. Silver’s rise on PMRank this year compared to his previous placements of 31st (2018) and 30th (2017) show an increasing consistency with both of his characters, which is especially notable given their frailty and difficulty. We hope to see many more examples of Silver’s intelligent pressure and purposeful movement in 2020.
Written By: Nick
Dimitri “Poilu” Poitiers, a long time competitor and long distance traveler from France, has solidified his place on PMRank this year after moving to Montréal. Those close to the French scene have always suspected Poilu’s crisp Lucario was PMRank-caliber, especially after his friend and rival *Zen made the list in 2016, and Poilu proved those suspicions correct this year with with one of the strongest PMRank debuts ever. As one might expect of a player willing to cross oceans to compete, Poilu was keen to attend a wide variety of events. He started with a 7th place finish at Frozen Phoenix where he defeated the previously ranked MorKs to reach top 8. Once there, Poilu lost the Lucario ditto to Rongunshu in what was at the time (and may still be) the most watched set of 2019; however, at Smash‘N’Splash 5 he would demonstrate a new understanding of the ditto by taking revenge in a close 2-0. Also at Smash‘N’Splash 5, he he claimed victory against both Ripple and Wyld before finishing 25th. While Poilu was let down by his placing at 49th at Blacklisted 5, he rebounded to 5th at Low Tier City 7, where he beat American Bowser and Connor. Poilu rounded out his year with landmark wins over Pikmon, Noghrilla, and Dumshiny at Smash Camp: End of Summer. It’s clear that Poilu’s skill is only growing as he takes his experience gained from the European scene and builds on it with more chances to compete in North America, and his rapid ascension into the PMRank Top 50 may continue even further in 2020.
Written By: Pegthaniel
After years of being SoCal’s least hidden boss, Eric “Sneez” Stanton broke out onto the national scene in a big way this year, making a fantastic first impression on PMRank 2019. One of the most active players on the West Coast, Sneez picked up wins on players such as altan and Ca$ino Wolf at regionals across the country before double-eliminating ilovebagelz and placing 2nd at 5:00 PM Fights: Film Fest. After placing 49th at Smash‘N’Splash 5 with losses to metroid and Chevy, Sneez quickly bounced back at Low Tier City 7 with his first ever appearance in top 8 at a major, trumphing over Hungrybox, forestfire, and Morsecode762. Sneez continued his success at The Encore and Smash Camp: End of Summer with wins against Connor, Noghrilla, Motobug, and Cloudburst. However, his biggest success of 2019 wouldn’t come until the end of the year at 5:00 PM Fights: Reindeer Games. Sneez employed his ROB and Diddy Kong (a.k.a. Snizzy Kong)s with great success as he dominated the bracket, taking out Wfycat, Cloudburst, and double-eliminating his SoCal rival, Nezergy, without ever even going to a game 5 to take the 1st place prize. From his great showings at regionals to strong performances at Low Tier City 7 and The Encore, Sneez was a force to be reckoned with all throughout 2019, and coming off of the biggest tournament win of his career, he’ll no doubt be carrying some heavy momentum into 2020.
Written By: Sabre
Other PMRank 2019 Articles
1/26/2020 - PMRank 2019: The Edge of Glory
1/27/2020 - PMRank 2019: 50-41
1/28/2020 - PMRank 2019: 40-31
1/27/2020 - PMRank 2019: 50-41
1/28/2020 - PMRank 2019: 40-31
Last Year's Rankings
Credits
PMRank Staff:
- Brennan “FlashingFire” Connolly
- Paul “Motobug” Canavan
- Kyle “Pegthaniel” Guo
- Peter “Pikmon” Woodworth
- Ryan “Sabre” Weinberg
- Paul "Motobug" Canavan
- Samoe "Samoe" Fuchs
- Cosmetic Standardization Project (CSProject)
- Brennan “FlashingFire” Connolly
- “CND”
- Connor “Connor” Remington
- Paul "Motobug" Canavan
- Nick "Nick" Hluska
- Kyle “Pegthaniel” Guo
- Ryan "Sabre" Weinberg
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