Daily Esports is proud to partner with Liam “Cloudhead” Estes, Mitch “Tacos” Blake, and “Dexy” to bring you the WWRv4! The Wi-fi Warrior Rank rates 50 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players based on their performances at online tournaments. Check out the Wi-fi Warrior Rank Discord to find out more about Smash Ultimate‘s competitive online scene.
Today’s rankings feature a handful players who are prominent in both the online and offline Smash Ultimate scenes. In fact, one of today’s WWRv4 inductees was also featured on the Fall 2019 PGRU!
WWRv4: 20-11
He’s spent his whole career Levin it all on the battlefield. This season, it culminates in a top 20 finish for Jose “Rinku” Lopez. One of the most threatening forces on Wi-fi, with a character that is otherwise oft-forgotten, he rose 14 spots this season by making the most of an increased presence at highly tiered events. At Ultimate Naifu Wars #6, he made a monstrous losers run after being upset in pools. On this run, he blazed through the likes of Bloom4Eva, Slay, ShinyMark, Aikota, and several more. His efforts rewarded him with 4th place at the second-highest tiered tournament of the season.
With a playercard that seems almost as complete as it gets, Rinku leads the charge of a number of Robin mains rising up the ranks. He stands tall as the sole Robin player on the WWR two seasons running. Rinku seems poised to represent Robin yet again in the future.
Another returnee rising up the ranks, Keven “Atticus” Gonzales (formerly known as Galaxy) rolls into the top 20 after missing out by a hair in the season prior. Atticus focused his efforts on Yoshi after playing most of last season with a secondary. As a result, he saw a significant uptick in results this time around. In particular, he placed 2nd at two WWRv4 B-tier events: JMSF #8 and The Harmony 2. In contrast, Atticus capped out at 3rd at a C-tier last season. He defeated Br1 AV, Bloom4Eva, sebayeeeee, and more between the two tournaments.
Though a top 8 finish at an A-tier eluded Atticus this season, it seems almost inevitable when you look at his host of other accomplishments. Indeed, he missed it narrowly twice this season, with two 9th place finishes at said events. One has to believe his sights are set not only there, but even higher. Atticus enters the v5 season as one of the most feared names in the scene.
Eighteen is a good number for Myles “MiLe” McKenzie, who returns in the same spot for the second consecutive season. His repeat rank, while excellent, is yet deceiving: he entered fewer events this season than he did last season. Despite this, the results he did pick up were bigger and better than before. Nowhere is there better proof of that than at the SL 2 Year Anniversary, where he took 2nd place and defeated Hydra, TheMightyDialga, Ravenking, Frawg, and chase. His A-tier prowess and his 8-5 record against the top 50 speak to the caliber of his play.
Skilled beyond measure, there’s not much advice you can give MiLe aside from “come around more often” when it comes to Wi-fi. The leader of a stampede of Yoshis once again, it’s in the cards for him to leave #18 behind next season and finish far higher.
Alex “Middy” Vong is a familiar face on our rankings, having appeared on every installment of the WWR so far. After spending each prior installment in the top ten, he falls to 17th this season, though not for lack of excellent results. He took second place at the A-tier Clash for Kongo Saga. There, he defeated Benny&thejets, Sword, and Raffi-X, and even got the 3-0 in the Pac-Man ditto against Kigumin. Along with another silver medal at JMSF #6 and top 8 at two further events, Middy remained an oppressive force everywhere he went.
Though Middy was less prolific this season than those prior, this was in part due to his emergent offline presence. A stellar debut at Port Priority 5 and wins over multiple PGR players were a few of the many achievements he made offline this season. One of the most recognizable names on Wi-fi, a budding talent in the PNW, and even one of the reasons Nairo feels so comfortable duking it out against Tea, Middy’s online legacy is cemented deeper than most. Any time he appears in a bracket, he’s a threat to win it all.
If you play Wi-fi long enough, you’re bound to run into a player named Hydra eventually. There are several scattered around the various brackets and crews of the scene. But none have set themselves apart like “Hydra” himself, a devastatingly good player who’s been lighting it up all season. Results like 5th place at Relaxing Station and 7th at SL’s 2 Year Anniversary highlighted his WWRv4 season, as did a silver medal at the B-tier ECLIPSE: Homecoming. Over the course of all his events, he took set wins over Sharp, Sword, Atticus, Middy, and more. Hydra made his mark on the bracket wherever he went.
Hydra is far from out of his element playing against those higher ranked than him, but he largely traded sets with them over the course of the season. He lacks a winning record over any top 15 player, one of the few so highly ranked with this distinction. Regardless, the set wins he did accrue speak volumes to his skill as a player. With nothing holding him back, he looks poised to continue his meteoric rise up the ranks. When Hydra soars through the bracket like he’s so good at doing, many, many heads are sure to turn.
Among the best players in all of Mexico, one of the best Clouds in the world, and owner of a host of PGR wins and deep runs at majors – few players on the WWR have become as much of a household name as Edgar “Sparg0” Valdez. Sparg0 remained one of Wi-fi’s best despite spending most of the season competing offline. He showed up big at Smash Legends #3, defeating Pokelam, chase, and Bloom4Eva en route to a WWRv4 A-tier victory. Coupled with top 8 finishes at Relaxing Station and the SCS Circuit Championship, he put together a mighty string of results this season and clocked in at #15.
Sparg0’s ranking this season is undoubtedly a drop from his #2 standing last season. Still, it’s an easy trade to make in exchange for an offline resume that grows more impressive with every major he attends. With the new year just beginning and plenty of Ultimate yet to be played, Sparg0’s potential is limitless. If he only comes around occasionally, a top 20 spot on the WWR is all but reserved for him. In due time, it might not be the only ranking he reaches such heights on.
You may recognize Raffi “Raffi-X” Azar from that other top 50 ranking they put out recently. I think it was called the PGR or something? Jokes aside, Raffi-X’s 14th place finish here marks the first time any player has made both PGR and WWR in the same season. In a curious mirroring of his offline season, Raffi-X only entered three online events. However, he made up for the small sample size with incredible results at what events he did attend. The peak of these three was the A-tier event Relaxing Station, where he outdueled MarktheSDKing and Hydra and double-eliminated Sharp to take 1st place and the $250 prize.
His record against the WWR’s top 50 comes as no surprise from one of the world’s top 50. Raffi-X’s 88% win rate ties for the highest on the WWRv4. Naturally, Raffi-X’s biggest accolades are in offline play. Nevertheless, he is one of the biggest threats in the bracket when he swoops in for a prize tournament online. If you don’t know his name by now, you haven’t been paying attention. If you’re in his way in a tournament, you’ll be paying the price.
Not even Hylia herself can save you from the wrath of “ZeroTwoNone”, who comes in at lucky number 13 thanks to a season of greater heights than ever before. He kicked off the WWRv4 season with a bang by hitting 2nd place at the SCSC Championship. At that event, he defeated enhancedpv, Sparg0, and MarktheSDKing in quick succession. Months later, he made another monster run, this time at JMSF #9. He took out Rinku, Sharp, and Sword before outlasting RobinGG in two sets of grands, surpassing his limits and winning the B-tier event.
ZeroTwoNone’s playercard is unique among the top 20 in that it doesn’t contain a single A-tier tournament. He stands as the highest-ranking player with this distinction. As evidenced by his dominance of B-tiers, though, it hardly slowed him down on the way to 13th. If he keeps this momentum going and hits up the orange and red events in the v5 season, who knows what could be in store for him moving forward.
Wi-fi’s mayor himself, Elam “Pokelam” Rosario returns for his third straight appearance in the top 20 of the WWR. This season saw him continue the dominance that earned him a reputation as the best Villager in the online scene. He took 4th place at the A-tier Take the Throne Edition, 7th place at the SL 2 Year Anniversary, and overall made top 8 at all but two of his qualifying tournaments. While his record versus the top 10 mellowed slightly after being among the highest last season, he still took sets over players like MiLe, sebayeeeee, Sharp, and Slay across all his events. He earned an even 12-12 set count against the top 50 to match his ranking.
Instantly recognizable to online tournament-goers, the crew league, and Villager mains alike, Pokelam has long made a name for himself in all his ventures. He’s one of those players who feels like a lock for the WWR, and its higher echelons as well. He should keep on netting high finishes for seasons to come.
The honor of biggest jump from a returning player goes to Lucas “chase” Ray. He has risen a whopping 28 spots to 11th place on the WWRv4. A master of multiple characters from the higher and lower tiers alike, chase medaled in three different tournaments this WWR season, including two A-tiers. The first of these events was SL’s 2 Year Anniversary. There, he finished 3rd with wins over Sword, Slay, and Br1 AV. Not a month later, he followed it up at Smash Legends #3. There, he took out Atticus, Slay, and Bloom4Eva on the way to 2nd place. He did so using exclusively Bayonetta, no less.
A student of not just the game, but a good portion of its cast, it’s hard to know quite what’s coming at you when you meet chase in bracket. Though he narrowly misses out on the top 10 this season, the scene is on notice wherever he goes. This season’s jump may be just the beginning for this master of diversity. After all, he’s already vaulted 28 spots on the ranking. What’s ten more to someone like chase?
Make sure to check back on Friday, Jan. 31, as the rankings conclude with the WWRv4: 10-1!
