Players
About
As we move into 2017, a lot of things are changing for Sydney Smash, including how we create power rankings. Firstly, as you have probably noticed, we have decided to break away from our old format of quarterly releases, and instead will be updating when we feel the timing is appropriate, and when we have enough data to create an accurate ranking.
The second major change is that we have created this PR specifically for the Sydney scene, as opposed to previous rankings by this panel which have considered all NSW players. As a result, no players on the GvP or Wollongong PRs were considered for these rankings. In future we plan to collaborate with TOs from Newcastle and Wollongong to create a combined NSW ranking.
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Included in this writeup is a link to a spreadsheet containing most of the tournaments and sets we used to decide this ranking. Releasing this document to the community is a first for our panel, and we hope with it you can see some of our thought processes. We hope this can become a regular addition to the PR and increase the overall transparency of our decision-making.
Keep in mind that raw data is very open to interpretation, and everyone will interpret it slightly differently. This is where the PR panel comes in - having a number of different viewpoints discussing the same set of data helps us to arrive at a single conclusion that we can all agree is a good representation of the current state of the Sydney scene.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NrCm5-eBK0wo-mhw8o2L5uSxiHZ3hl64SorKNGyQ1d4/edit?usp=sharing
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So, without further ado, let us get into the rankings!
1. Luco (±0)
Retaining his hold over NSW since Q4 2016 comes the PK kid himself, Luco. Luco has been a consistent threat in the scene ever since the game released and especially after coming back from his gap year he has been rising, taking his performance to a national scale and currently sits at #8 on the Aus PR V2.0. Widely recognised internationally as a top Lucas with a strong Ness secondary, Luco has only dropped sets this quarter to Joe and interstaters, and is looking to continue improving as time goes on.
2. MM (±0)
Coming in at 2nd place this period is MM, the renowned tri-main who currently sits at #9 in Australia. MM is one of the scene's most intelligent players and is known to also be one of the best coaches around with his analytical approach to play. Although most well known for his Palutena, MM has actually seen most of his sets this period with Olimar and Mii 'The Kount' Brawler. This saw him place 2nd at the major Expand Gong 2, beating the ACT top players Sriks and Pazx, and at home has consistent wins on Killy and Dr. Ainuss as well as a firm grip over the rest of the scene which looks to hold moving into the BAM period.
3. Jeese (+1)
Jeese rocks in at 3rd place this period. Jeese is another player with a strong inter-state showing as of late and his Charizard has shown the rest of the country time and time again that they should really just play better. Currently sitting as an Honourable Mention on the current Aus PR, Jeese has dominated Sydney events especially in the middle of the period and sees wins over Joe, Ainuss, MM, Sriks and Shaya among many others. He also has some of the most consistent losses, with his worst losses this period being Shaya / Invisi, and is continuing to set the bar for NSW's top level.
4. Killy (OLD)
Killy's biggest return to the scene since Q3 2016 has been strong, and the multiple-time top player has found himself once again leading the scene. Killy's Sonic and Bayonetta have taken more or less equal roles in his placing this period and he still rolls over a vast majority of the scene although hasn't seen a first placing this period and was absent from top 8 at the most recent NAD dropping to Enn and ACT's own Joey. Still this panel feels Killy is returning to power after his slumber and places him here with his wins over MM, Jeese and Kristoph.
5. Dr. Ainuss (OLD)
Dr. Ainuss is back and has shown this period that he is still a strong contender in the Sydney scene. Whilst Ainuss is known to 'main' Fox he is foremostly a counterpicking-based player which has shown in his placing here. With consistent placings across the board and a number of wins on top players such as MM and Jeese he is on his way to achieving his goal of #1 Sydney PR.
6. Joe (-1)
While Joe has fallen one spot on this new PR, he has continued to prove that he can compete with Sydney's best taking home strong wins across the entire Sydney PR including all of its top 3 and even placing 3rd at Tassie Fighter Con, his results this period have been a bit inconsistent with a few unexpected losses. Regardless of this, Joe is still a very strong player who has the drive to improve and for his inconsistency has some of the highest highs of the scene.
7. Enn (±0)
Seventh spot goes to Enn who is another player who has retained his placing for this PR. With a decent showing throughout this period he continues to work on his Cloud and at the most recent Sydney tournament he reminded everyone that when on point and focused he is up there with the rest of them, taking a set off Killy and performing admirably vs Sriks. If he can continue this trend into the next period he can only rise.
8. Invisi (+1)
Despite his poor performance at Expand Gong 2, Invisi has had several strong showings throughout the past four months. On top of wins over Pazx and Jeese to take multiple top 8 placings, he also had an amazing showing at TFC2, taking out Ignis and Joe to place second. Though most of his recent notable wins have been with his ever improving Rosalina, he still uses his Jigglypuff regularly and it is as threatening as ever.
9. EmanSaur (NEW)
His first showing on PR comes one of Sydney's newest players, EmanSaur. Eman has the double dubious honour of maining Yoshi and being an active member of Teen Meems, but his dedication to the game as well as his love for the community has not gone unnoticed by this panel. This period he sees wins over Joe, Invisi and Scarpian and this panel is confident with further work Eman has nowhere to go but up.
10. Scarpian (OLD)
Returning to PR since Q3 2016, Scarpian has had a slightly bumpier ride than most on his way to this spot, but his tournament win early this period where he took several sets over the likes of Shaya and Dr. Ainuss and a host of overall solid placings have netted him this spot. Whilst a little liable to tilt, when Scarpian has 'The Fire' under him he is known to take massive wins with some of the hypest and flashiest plays from his staples Captain Falcon and Ryu.
HB. Boundaries
HB. SaucyDancer
HB. Shaya
Sitting as Hidden Bosses these rankings comes one half of team Galeforce 'Boundaries', former Aus PR 'SaucyDancer' and 4BR leader 'Shaya'. These players have all made noteworthy splashes on the scene this season, be it several consistent placings or a couple high ones and this panel felt it appropriate that their accomplishments be honoured.
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This is the scene moving forward into the BAM period. With the arrival of new threats and the return of old ones, Sydney Smash is looking forward to supporting these players and everyone who will be attending events in the future. Thanks again from this panel, congratulations to everyone who made it and we'll see you again next time.
The second major change is that we have created this PR specifically for the Sydney scene, as opposed to previous rankings by this panel which have considered all NSW players. As a result, no players on the GvP or Wollongong PRs were considered for these rankings. In future we plan to collaborate with TOs from Newcastle and Wollongong to create a combined NSW ranking.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Included in this writeup is a link to a spreadsheet containing most of the tournaments and sets we used to decide this ranking. Releasing this document to the community is a first for our panel, and we hope with it you can see some of our thought processes. We hope this can become a regular addition to the PR and increase the overall transparency of our decision-making.
Keep in mind that raw data is very open to interpretation, and everyone will interpret it slightly differently. This is where the PR panel comes in - having a number of different viewpoints discussing the same set of data helps us to arrive at a single conclusion that we can all agree is a good representation of the current state of the Sydney scene.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NrCm5-eBK0wo-mhw8o2L5uSxiHZ3hl64SorKNGyQ1d4/edit?usp=sharing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, without further ado, let us get into the rankings!
1. Luco (±0)
Retaining his hold over NSW since Q4 2016 comes the PK kid himself, Luco. Luco has been a consistent threat in the scene ever since the game released and especially after coming back from his gap year he has been rising, taking his performance to a national scale and currently sits at #8 on the Aus PR V2.0. Widely recognised internationally as a top Lucas with a strong Ness secondary, Luco has only dropped sets this quarter to Joe and interstaters, and is looking to continue improving as time goes on.
2. MM (±0)
Coming in at 2nd place this period is MM, the renowned tri-main who currently sits at #9 in Australia. MM is one of the scene's most intelligent players and is known to also be one of the best coaches around with his analytical approach to play. Although most well known for his Palutena, MM has actually seen most of his sets this period with Olimar and Mii 'The Kount' Brawler. This saw him place 2nd at the major Expand Gong 2, beating the ACT top players Sriks and Pazx, and at home has consistent wins on Killy and Dr. Ainuss as well as a firm grip over the rest of the scene which looks to hold moving into the BAM period.
3. Jeese (+1)
Jeese rocks in at 3rd place this period. Jeese is another player with a strong inter-state showing as of late and his Charizard has shown the rest of the country time and time again that they should really just play better. Currently sitting as an Honourable Mention on the current Aus PR, Jeese has dominated Sydney events especially in the middle of the period and sees wins over Joe, Ainuss, MM, Sriks and Shaya among many others. He also has some of the most consistent losses, with his worst losses this period being Shaya / Invisi, and is continuing to set the bar for NSW's top level.
4. Killy (OLD)
Killy's biggest return to the scene since Q3 2016 has been strong, and the multiple-time top player has found himself once again leading the scene. Killy's Sonic and Bayonetta have taken more or less equal roles in his placing this period and he still rolls over a vast majority of the scene although hasn't seen a first placing this period and was absent from top 8 at the most recent NAD dropping to Enn and ACT's own Joey. Still this panel feels Killy is returning to power after his slumber and places him here with his wins over MM, Jeese and Kristoph.
5. Dr. Ainuss (OLD)
Dr. Ainuss is back and has shown this period that he is still a strong contender in the Sydney scene. Whilst Ainuss is known to 'main' Fox he is foremostly a counterpicking-based player which has shown in his placing here. With consistent placings across the board and a number of wins on top players such as MM and Jeese he is on his way to achieving his goal of #1 Sydney PR.
6. Joe (-1)
While Joe has fallen one spot on this new PR, he has continued to prove that he can compete with Sydney's best taking home strong wins across the entire Sydney PR including all of its top 3 and even placing 3rd at Tassie Fighter Con, his results this period have been a bit inconsistent with a few unexpected losses. Regardless of this, Joe is still a very strong player who has the drive to improve and for his inconsistency has some of the highest highs of the scene.
7. Enn (±0)
Seventh spot goes to Enn who is another player who has retained his placing for this PR. With a decent showing throughout this period he continues to work on his Cloud and at the most recent Sydney tournament he reminded everyone that when on point and focused he is up there with the rest of them, taking a set off Killy and performing admirably vs Sriks. If he can continue this trend into the next period he can only rise.
8. Invisi (+1)
Despite his poor performance at Expand Gong 2, Invisi has had several strong showings throughout the past four months. On top of wins over Pazx and Jeese to take multiple top 8 placings, he also had an amazing showing at TFC2, taking out Ignis and Joe to place second. Though most of his recent notable wins have been with his ever improving Rosalina, he still uses his Jigglypuff regularly and it is as threatening as ever.
9. EmanSaur (NEW)
His first showing on PR comes one of Sydney's newest players, EmanSaur. Eman has the double dubious honour of maining Yoshi and being an active member of Teen Meems, but his dedication to the game as well as his love for the community has not gone unnoticed by this panel. This period he sees wins over Joe, Invisi and Scarpian and this panel is confident with further work Eman has nowhere to go but up.
10. Scarpian (OLD)
Returning to PR since Q3 2016, Scarpian has had a slightly bumpier ride than most on his way to this spot, but his tournament win early this period where he took several sets over the likes of Shaya and Dr. Ainuss and a host of overall solid placings have netted him this spot. Whilst a little liable to tilt, when Scarpian has 'The Fire' under him he is known to take massive wins with some of the hypest and flashiest plays from his staples Captain Falcon and Ryu.
HB. Boundaries
HB. SaucyDancer
HB. Shaya
Sitting as Hidden Bosses these rankings comes one half of team Galeforce 'Boundaries', former Aus PR 'SaucyDancer' and 4BR leader 'Shaya'. These players have all made noteworthy splashes on the scene this season, be it several consistent placings or a couple high ones and this panel felt it appropriate that their accomplishments be honoured.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the scene moving forward into the BAM period. With the arrival of new threats and the return of old ones, Sydney Smash is looking forward to supporting these players and everyone who will be attending events in the future. Thanks again from this panel, congratulations to everyone who made it and we'll see you again next time.