Best Smash Bros Players – Top 5 Smash Ultimate & Melee Players

Smash Bros has one of the longest histories in esports, spanning multiple game interations and hundreds of competitors who have risen to the top of the game. The best Smash Bros players are a step beyond though. These are the Smash bros players who have marked themselves out as the most skilled and talented in the title and across fighting games as a whole.

These are the best Smash Bros players in 2022. The players who stand out in both Melee and Ultimate as the top Smashers.

Top 5 Best Smash Bros Ultimate Players

Smash Ultimate rankings are a little easier to think about than Melee. There isn’t the heft of history and retired players weighing it down. However, these picks for the best Smash Bros players are weighted towards recent events, the top players in the game right now.

1. MKLeo

MKLeo has cemented his spot as the number 1 Ultimate player in 2022. To some, it was never in doubt. MKLeo is one of the strongest players to ever pick up a controller. He’s switched characters around in Ultimate, going between Joker and other characters before recently settling on Byleth. MKLeo’s had too many strong performances to note here, but EVO 2019 definitely stands out as one of his most impressive. Here, he ran the loser’s bracket after losing in the first round. He went on to climb up from the second round of Loser’s eventually taking first place.

Things have continued that way for MKLeo since. In 2022, he’s taken first place at loads of huge tournaments, having a run of near-constant wins throughout the summer. He’s one of the best Smash Bros players, in Ultimate and across the entire series.

2. Sparg0

Sparg0 made a name for himself online in Smash for Wii U as one of the best Cloud players. In Ultimate, he was once ranked as the #1 online player. However, during the Covid-19 online tournaments, he made the jump to a powerhouse at big events proper.

Since 2021, he’s broken out to become one of the most promising players in the scene. He won tons of majors between 2022 and 2021, even taking wins off other top players. While Sparg0 stepped away for personal reasons for the rest of 2022, he’s coming back next season and is set to challenge MKLeo for that #1 spot.

3. Light

Light is a Fox main who has reached as high as 3rd on the Orion Rank for 2022. His early 2019 tournaments saw great results and a lot of promise. By 2021 as the in-person events returned, Light began a run with much stronger consistency and placements. He’s taken routine 1st and 2nd finishes for the bulk of 2022’s tournaments. The recent Ludwig Invitational didn’t go quite as smoothly, but Light has had a strong showing outside of that.

Alongside these achievements, he’s possibly the best doubles player active in Ultimate right now. Light is the protagonist of Smash Bros Ultimate esports, and one of the best Smash players in 2022.

4. Glutonny

Glutonny’s performance in 2022 is of one the strongest across the entire game. He’s been a Wario main since Brawl and is probably the best Ultimate player with the character. In 2022, he’s made the jump up to being one of the best overall players in Smash Bros. He’s won at Pound 2022, even taking a win off of MKLeo. Along with coming second at Genesis 8 and 4th at Super Smash Con 2022.

5. Acola

Acola is a recent addition to the rankings, but he’s risen to be one of the best players in the world. It was only 2022 that he really started to make appearances outside of locals. Pretty quickly though, he won his first Kagaribi tournament and was catapulted to the top tier of Smash Bros. This year, he’s won more major events and is now ranked as the best Japanese player and one of the best overall. He’s the best Steve player out there and definitely someone to watch over next season.

Read also: Le’Veon Bell wants to run the biggest Smash Bros Tournament

The Best Smash Players – Melee

When ranking the best Melee players, it’s a little more difficult to come to a conclusive rank on since this is such a longer-running esport. There are players who aren’t as prominent in the community anymore, but their standing as one of legendary players in the game is hard to dispute. We’ll be focusing on the best Smash Bros players in 2022 though, it’s not an all-time best list. This means that some legendary players aren’t included, but these are the top Melee players this year

1. Zain

Zain has been absolutely dominating Smash Bros in recent years. The player has risen to the top of the pack for Melee in 2022, following up on strong previous years. Zain currently holds the top rank in multiple ranking systems for the best Smash Bros players. Active since 2015, the player has come to dominate the game during the Slippi period and in the years since when in-person tournaments have returned. In 2022 alone, he’s won 5 different majors. He’s been the player to beat this year.

2. iBDW

iBDW’s recent achievements have been impressive and stand to show his skill at the game. He’s only the second player to win two consecutive Smash Summits and had an amazing run of results in 2022. In just a few months, iBDW won Smash Summit 13, Double Down, Phantom, and took 2nd at the Smash Summit 14. He’s proven himself one of the strongest current Melee players and overall one of the best Smash Bros players.

3. Hungrybox

Hungrybox might be well known for his outbursts at events, but his skills at Melee are completely undisputed. While not on the same hot streak in 2022, he’s one of a few players who would likely make the list for best players of all time alongside the current balance of things. Hbox is one of the most successful players in Melee history, and recently he’s taken 6 different Major titles in 2022 and consistently hit 2nd or 3rd in those that he lost out on the main spot in.

4. aMSa

aMSa is a more controversial pick for the best Melee players in 2022, but there’s a reason he might be worth considering in the top 5. aMSa is a Yoshi main that recently managed to win a major with the unconventional character. The player is proof that there’s still room in Melee for innovation and he’s pushing the game to new ground.

5. Leffen

Leffen is currently one of the top-tier Melee players and he’s on the rise for Ultimate too. He’s held a top 5 ranking in MPGR since 2018. This year he’s taken DreamHack Rotterdam 2022, Battle of BC 4, and in 2021 he had an amazing run of major wins. Leffen has occasionally provoked controversy with his behavior, most notably leading to a ban on Swedish tournaments. However, in Melee Leffen is definitely one of the Best Smash Bros players out there.

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