The Panda Global Rankings v2 from May 2016 to December 2016

 

#PGRv2 represents the efforts of our @ThePGstats team: Suar, Zan, Dom, Juddy96, Giant, Fyazko, Spike, Mayday, and Popi. 

If you'd like to know how it was created, take a look at the Methods section! Each image was made by KeithTheHuman. Videos were created by Fyazko and False, narrated by Suar and Alpharad. Mobile users may find the imgur album easier. 

PGRv2: 50-41

PGRv2: 30-21 (1/17)

PGRv2: 20-11 (1/18)

PGRv2: 10-1 (1/19)

Want to know what the X-factor is? Take a look at the Methods section!

 

 

Without Further Ado,

 

Photo credit: @7SeSports

PGRv1 rank: Unranked

Sajhmori “Saj” Dunn has long-been one of Florida’s top players, but it was when Bayonetta was added to the game that he truly found his footing. Dashing into the limelight when the character was released, Saj quickly established himself as one of the character’s best representatives. His first national with the character was Pound in the April of 2016, where he eliminated  tournament-favorite Nairo and finished 13th. He continued to deliver even with the significant nerfs the character incurred the following month, placing 13th at Super Smash Con and within the top 48 at The Big House 6, UGC Smash Open and Smash the Record. With a strong 2016 behind him, 2017 could very well be his breakout year.

- Justin "Popi" Banusing (@PopiSSB)

 

 
Photo credit: @BigBlueES

PGRv1 rank: Unranked

New England’s own Alexander “Pugwest” Martin has had a robust PGR v2 season. Known for being one of the original Marth mains, Pugwest’s Marth features a patient playstyle with a very unorthodox and unique combo game. Pugwest posted strong results at majors this season with a 17th place finish at Evo 2016, a 25th place finish at UGC Smash Open, and a 25th place finish at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga. Pugwest has garnered wins over several top players this season including Dath, Saj, Rich Brown, Tweek, Marss, Mr. E, and 6WX. Pugwest is also a top doubles player with his static partner and brother, Marss. Self nicknamed “Team Yazi”, the doubles team is notorious for their great synergy and flashy combos.  Pugwest is looking to improve upon his success in both singles and doubles in 2017.

- Adam "Mayday" Braham (@PG_Mayday)

 

Photo credit: @2GGLakitu

PGRv1 rank: Unranked

Arguably the best Lucario in the world, Florida’s Daniel “Day” Facey makes his first appearance on the PGR. Day is well known for his outspoken and straightforward personality which compliments his aggressive play style. Day shows how dangerous Lucario can be with solid showings at Evo 2016 and Super Smash Con 2016 where he placed 13th and 17th, respectively. After losing his first set in round 2 pools at Evo 2016, Day put together an impressive losers bracket run highlighted by wins over Rain, 6WX and Xaltis to finish top 16. He is also one of the handful of players to take a tournament set off of ZeRo. Day has proven he has the skill to backup his candid personality.

- Adam "Mayday" Braham (@PG_Mayday)

 

Photo credit: @Delta52_

PGRv1 rank: Unranked

Aaron “Dyr” Wilhite has some of the best Diddy antics in the business and accompanied them with some extremely solid fundamental play this past season, granting him a nice paycheck in the form of wins and placings. At CEO 2016 he made some noise by placing 17th, but really started to turn heads when he finally left Florida for EVO 2016, where he placed 17th again whilst beating Nietono and Marss. Dyr also has placings like 9th at Shine 2016 and 4th at Showdown: Battle Royale on his resume, further proving his legitimacy away from his home state of Florida.

- Dominique “Dom” Moore (@PG_Dom)

 

Photo credit: @team_detonation

PGRv1 rank: 32

Yuta “Nietono” Uejima is one of Japan’s longest-running veterans, having been a top level contender since Brawl, the previous game in the series.  Ranked 11th in Japan, the Diddy Kong specialist can be described as an “attacking wall”: a player who pressures his opponents while keeping himself absolutely safe at the same time. Despite his great domestic results, which include 1st place finishes at the Kanto Invitational and Toryumon 1, he still lacks a breakout international tournament run. He isn’t far off though, as 3rd and 13th place finishes at this year’s APEX and CEO show what he is truly capable of. Should he be able to translate his domestic success into international results in 2017, there’s no telling what he can achieve.

- Justin "Popi" Banusing (@PopiSSB)

 

Photo credit: Smashboards.com

PGRv1 rank: 18

After a change of heart following an announcement of virtual retirement from Smash 4, Vincent “Vinnie” Cannino jumped back into high level play early in the season, reappearing at MomoCon 2016 and finishing at 5th. He followed that up with a 2nd place at Texas Gaming Championships 8, and after that event Vinnie was effectively back in his traveling (and winning) ways, stacking victory after victory over the Summer. Such wins include Mr. E, ScAtt, Pugwest, and Hyuga, with the last on the list being obtained on his way to 9th place at EVO 2016.

- Dominique “Dom” Moore (@PG_Dom)

 

Photo credit: @2GGLakitu

PGRv1 rank: 22

Returning from PGR v1, Brawl legend Eric “Tyrant” Legesse had a relatively quiet second season. Currently ranked 4th in Southern California, the long time Meta Knight main has put up strong numbers in his region, but has been hindered by his inability to travel. Tyrant had solid placings at the two majors he attended this season finishing 25th at Evo 2016 and 13th at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga. Putting together a strong bracket run at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, he would defeat Samsora, Dabuz, and False on his way to a top 16 finish. Tyrant’s Meta Knight boasts a very fast paced, flashy offensive style of play. He also keeps a utility Diddy Kong and Sheik for certain matchups. Expect Tyrant to make great strides in 2017 if given the opportunity to travel more.

- Adam "Mayday" Braham (@PG_Mayday)

 

Photo credit: @2GGLakitu

PGRv1 rank: 40

Chris “falln” Rugg is one of the lesser talked about names in high level play, but his results definitely speak volumes on their own. His Rosalina & Luma is a constant threat at whatever he attends, as punctuated by his wins players like Marss, Tweek, and Tyrant. These victories are accompanied by solid placements at Tier 1 and Tier 2 events, including 5th at  2GGT: KTAR Saga, 7th at 2GGT: Mexico Saga, and 13th at both CEO 2016 and 2GGT: ZeRo Saga.

- Dominique “Dom” Moore (@PG_Dom)

 

Photo credit: Justin Lee

PGRv1 rank: Unranked

Floridian mainstay Austin “Dath” Brown is arguably the best Robin specialist in the world. As the principal driver of the Robin metagame, Dath has developed the supposedly mid-tier character past its perceived limits and then some. Though already popular within niche circles, it were his results in 2016 that propelled him into the mainstream. A 3rd place finish at Shine last August and wins over international threats like Anti, Marss and Larry Lurr have made his name hard to ignore in-bracket.

Dath enters the 2017 season as a free agent hungry for more top placings. Given the odds he’s overcome in the past, it is within the realm of possibility that he’ll find success in this endeavor.

- Justin "Popi" Banusing (@PopiSSB)

 

Photo credit: @tischphotos

PGRv1 rank: 43

Andrew “ScAtt” Huntley is mostly known for his unique character and controller preferences, those being Mega Man and Wiimote & Nunchuck respectively. Unorthodox choices aside, ScAtt accumulated a number of good results and wins this past season,effectively removing any chance of him flying under the radar. His most notable performance came at Super Smash Con 2016, where he beat Dabuz in Winner's bracket en route to a 5th place finish. ScAtt has also taken down dyr, Mew2King, and Fatality in bracket, and has other noteworthy peaks such as 4th at LVL UP EXPO 2016 and WTFox 2, 7th at Clutch City Clash, and 13th at CEO 2016.

- Dominique “Dom” Moore (@PG_Dom)