Upcomer is proud to partner with the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank team to present the WWRv7! The Wi-Fi Warrior Rank rates 50 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players based on their performances in online tournaments. Check out the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank Discord to find out more about Smash Ultimate’s competitive online scene.
Many international players make their mark at this stage of the WWRv7; half of today’s competitors hail from outside of the United States. This includes four highly-ranked players from Mexico. In addition, several of the players on today’s list are making their Wi-Fi Warrior Rank debuts.
WWRv7: 30-21
The Wi-Fi Warrior Rank has been around for five seasons of Smash Ultimate now. But, there’s still a handful of characters who have never been featured on it. That list is now one entry shorter thanks to Juan “Skyjay” Pablo. He comes in at No. 30 as the first ever WWR-ranked Incineroar.
Skyjay made himself known right from the first major event of the season. At Frame Perfect Series 4: Online, he defeated MkLeo and Epic_Gabriel, two reigning top 10 players, and placed fifth at the B-tier tournament. Skyjay’s ninth place finish at A-tier Lunch Box + saw him defeat Epic_Gabriel once more. In addition, he closed the season out with twin fifth-place finishes at the PAS Finale and the Mexican S-tier Maruchan Gaming Series.
Despite a relatively low win rate against the top 50, the wins he does have are among the best of anyone on the ranking up to this point. It’s even more impressive to achieve these peaks with a character some believe is among the worst in the game. Whether it’s online or in his home scene of Mexico, anyone entering the ring opposite Skyjay should be well aware of his prowess. He’s more than earned his stripes.
— Liam “Cloudhead” Estes
The first S-tier event winner to appear on this season’s rankings, Oliver “Bloom4Eva” Alexander makes his third WWR appearance. This time, he has risen to No. 29 on the WWRv7. Only a handful of European players were able to make their mark this season, but Bloom4Eva had one of the strongest showings of all at the SWT Europe Online Qualifier. He took home first place at the event out of 1,802 entrants. On the way, he defeated Lucretio, Tomberry, Freetox_, Vidad and finally sisqui twice. His trusted Bayonetta also led him to a second place finish at The Online Olympus II. There, he defeated Middy and Pelupelu before falling to the latter in two grand finals sets.
Bloom4Eva performed incredibly well at several other European events, only losing to the strongest players the continent has to offer. Most notably, he took second place at EnvySnakes x Indefinable Bound #3 and third place at FCW x GlobalClan: Special Edition #2. With such solid showings under his belt, Bloom4Eva has become the staple representative for Bayonetta over this past season. He will also be one of the strongest players to look out for from the United Kingdom moving forward. While limited in the amount of events he could enter this season, he twisted everyone’s expectations by taking home first place at the most valuable event available to him. Only time will tell how this young player stacks up against the rest of Europe’s finest as the Smash World Tour reaches its offline portion.
— Sean “GME” Wilkinson
He’s been one of the faces of Mr. Game & Watch since Smash 4, so it’s no surprise that Alejandro “Regi Shikimi” Martínez is back for another round on the WWRv7. True to his silhouetted character, Regi Shikimi was a bit of a dark horse this season. He only entered four tournaments, three of which were region-locked to Mexico. But, the results he got speak volumes to his skill as a player.
After a decent 17th place finish at the SWT Mexico Online Qualifier, it wasn’t until late May that Regi Shikimi put together the rest of his resume. But, when your next result is fourth place at an S-tier, you can afford to procrastinate a little. At said S-tier, Maruchan Gaming Series, he made a run through some of Mexico’s very best, including Skyjay and Sparg0. Meanwhile, he only lost to the latter and Nair^, the top two players at the event. Regi Shikimi added wins on Chag and AlanDiss at C-tier Warlock: The Last, then finished things out with a ninth place finish at Get On My Line 2021 that saw him defeat naitosharp.
Though his win list is short, Regi Shikimi took sets from almost everyone he crossed paths with this season, as well as every player he met more than once. He was remarkably consistent this eason as well; he’s the first player on the ranking with zero unranked losses. Though Maister may get much of the fanfare when talking about Mexico’s best Game & Watches, you’d be remiss to forget the OG. Regi Shikimi is as dangerous as ever, and he’ll make it known wherever he goes.
— Cloudhead
A master of both Hero and Ridley, Diego “Nair^” Sanchez (also known as Keqing) makes his long-awaited debut on the WWRv7 at No. 27. Few can boast a resume as strong as Nair^’s, with his first place finish at the S-tier Maruchan Gaming Series as his strongest result by far. Defeating AlanDiss, Regi Shikimi, Chag and finally Sparg0, he managed to take down Mexico’s finest in order to earn a gold medal. He also performed incredibly well at the SWT Mexico Online Qualifier. He earned a spot at the offline portion of the circuit with his fifth place finish after defeating Cloudy, Stronghold and more.
In back-to-back events in April, Nair^ managed to finish in fourth place at both the C-tier Get Clipped #12 and the B-tier Beyond the Spectrum. Across these two events, he defeated LMan, Monte, Jake, Atomsk, Rivers, Dabuz and many more. He also placed 33rd at The Airlock in February, defeating Deathspade and Mr. E before falling just short of top 32. Taking wins over the very best that Mexico and the rest of the world have to offer is no easy feat. With only four S-tiers throughout this season, finishing in first place at any one of them is nearly a guarantee for a great debut ranking. Nair^ was already a massive threat in Mexico prior to the pandemic and the shift online. But, with the Smash World Tour’s offline portion coming up, we’ll certainly be looking forward to seeing him continue his rise to the top.
— GME
Few can handle the grind of online events like Brett “8BitMan” Esposito. Landing at the 26th spot of the WWRv7, 8BitMan is a prime example of a hard-working competitor who doesn’t let anything stop him from training to become the best player possible. His most recent feat was placing third at Get On My Line 2021. He has also earned other solid placements, such as fifth at the Lockhart Series 2 and seventh at Frame Perfect Series 4: Online. In that flurry of events, 8BitMan gathered wins against the likes of Epic_Gabriel, LeoN, naitosharp, Ravenking, WaDi and many more. While he does hold 13 unranked losses, he has a nearly even record of 15-14 against the top 50. This makes his spot half-way up the rankings all the more fitting.
8BitMan exits the quarantine era as one of the most consistent competitors of all, ranking top 30 in each WWR season he competed in. Full of charisma and charm, be sure to follow 8BitMan’s grind to glory as he continues to entertain the masses while also achieving greatness in tournaments.
— Cyrus “Cagt” Gharakhanian
Smash Ultimate’s online era has seen many success stories across the community. However, few are as impactful as Florida’s very own rising Steve main “Jake.” Previously known as JTJ, then a Mario main, his tag and character change completely transformed his career. Now, he’s one of the most prominent online players the scene has seen.
His resume of wins speaks for itself: ESAM, Lui$, Maister, Scend, naitosharp, Pokelam and WaDi, just to name a few. Not only that, but he holds a gold medal finish at B-tier Get Clipped #10, a second place finish at Byte or Flight #3 and a fourth place finish at CUP Smash’s Charity Tournament. Outside of larger events, he was a favorite during weekly tournaments. Jake took home the gold on multiple occasions and regularly topped the Panda Global Online Leaderboard. His rise to fame was not flawless however. He does have a negative record of 12-23 against the WWRv7 top 50 and 10 unranked losses to his name.
Regardless, he is clearly one of the strongest Steve mains in the business. He has even proven it offline, as he was one set shy of top eight at InfinityCON. Keep an eye out for this player as he continues his reign across the nation as one of the best representatives of new blood in the community.
— Cagt
One of Georgia’s very best players and a dominant threat both online and offline, Carrington “Wrath” Osborne makes his third consecutive appearance on the WWR, this time at No. 24 on the WWRv7. Wrath came speeding out of the gate by placing second at the season’s first event, RESET: Smash for Rainn. There, he lost out to only Epic_Gabriel in winners finals and grand finals. Soon after, Wrath finished in 13th place at The Airlock, one of the most significant events of the season. In the process, he defeated strong players like Monte and MFA.
Although his attendance dwindled toward the end of the season, Wrath made sure to earn an offline spot in the Smash World Tour. He finished in fifth place at the SWT NA Southeast Online Qualifier, defeating Pelupelu and Jake. Later, Wrath finished strong by taking home second place at War on NAKANDA. He defeated Chag, took a second win against Monte, double-eliminated Andrik and finally earned a set win against Sparg0 before losing to Sparg0 in a grand finals reset.
While he hasn’t quite dominated online competition like he did a year ago, there’s no sign that Wrath will slow down anytime soon. This speedy Sonic main has already been dominating offline competition in Georgia. He is likely homing in on goals greater than he’s ever achieved before. Wrath is more than capable of springing to the very top, so keep your eyes peeled.
— GME
In a WWRv7 season with many brand new faces breaking into the ranking, one who’s really begun to shake online events is none other than Luciano “Pelupelu” C., the Byleth main from Florida. He may not be the most active player, or a household name, but his track record more than proves his clear talent at the game.
Notably, Pelupelu won The Online Olympus II, defeating Frawg, SuperGirlKels, WaKa and Bloom4Eva twice. Perhaps even more impressive was his second place finish at B-tier Frame Perfect Series 5: Online. He defeated Lui$ and Epic_Gabriel, only falling to MkLeo’s Pyra and Mythra. Add in his other solid performances, like a 17th place finish at the SWT NA Southeast Online Qualifier, and he consistently makes his presence known at every event he enters.
Pelupelu’s list of wins is no laughing matter, nor is his 6-5 record against the top 50. To go along with that, he holds only two losses against unranked players. This makes Pelupelu one of the most consistent players on this season’s ranking. If you see this name appear in your bracket, be prepared for a tough fight. We hope to see more of his gameplay, both online and offline, in the near future.
— Cagt
Returning to the rankings in the No. 22 spot is the NorCal legend Luis “Lui$” Oceguera. Lui$ is a name that needs no introduction, which is something he proved once again during the WWRv7 season.
This season, Lui$ was able to rack up several notable placements. One of the most impressive of these was his first place finish at Get Clipped #9: Smashentine’s Day. At that event, he double-eliminated Scend. He continued on with placements like fifth at Mazer Gaming Gives Back 2, fourth at Frame Perfect Series 5: Online and ninth at The Box: Lunch Box +. Throughout the rest of the season, Lui$ was able to pick up wins on naitosharp, Sonix and Kiyarash (twice).
Though his high attendance landed him a losing record against the top 50, his peaks were more than impressive enough to make up for it. Lui$ proved once again this season that he has what it takes to compete with the best of them, and win, regardless of the environment.
— Kyle “Grayola” Gray
Entering the WWRv7 in the No. 21 spot is standout Snake specialist Alan “AlanDiss” Carrillo. This breakout season marks his first appearance on the rankings, and he more than earned his high spot.
The Tijuana native managed multiple impressive placements, including second at both ZapZone Tournament #4 and Lunch Box #12. He also placed 13th at The Airlock and third at Vermillion Stadium. Across these strong performances, he was able to pick up wins on Angel, Yez, ShinyMark, and Scend (twice). While he did have a losing record versus the top 50, his consistency was remarkable. Less than 20% of his losses came against unranked players. AlanDiss’ use of explosives and his adaptive playstyle have put him on the map. Though he may be hard to spot in that camo, rest assured that he’s here to stay.
— Grayola
Make sure to check back on Wednesday, July 28, as the rankings continue with the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7: 20-11!
