20. HKP
HKP slings his way onto the Top 50 with five Top 32 placements in his perfect attendance of eligible events! HKP is a computer science major that first picked up Rivals in 2016, but only recently found his competitive edge. HKP’s exponential improvement since 2019 has seen him earn a 9th place finish at RCS Air, and a 13th place finish at the RCS Finals, where he finally took out a long time bracket demon in the form of Mentos. Despite his vast improvement and superb upsets, HKP’s favorite moment from the season was witnessing Seggo and Blue use Ranno at RCS Water.
19. Dunk
Dunk has made every Top 50 to date, so it should be no surprise that we see him at number 19 in Season 5! Dunk has been a long time competitor and Beta Tester, helping advance Kragg in the meta with talent and balancing ideas alike. While he is no stranger to moving up and down the Top 50, Dunk’s hope is to one day have the community surpass him in skill and end his streak.
“Don’t sweat it, the world will still be there tomorrow”
18. 1stDan
1stDan is a SoCal Kragg that has been playing Rivals since 2015 and competing since 2016. After years of tournaments, 1stDan set out with a single goal for Season 5 – have fun. This goal may have been simple, but 1stDan went on to earn a 9th place finish at RCS Fire and tallied wins over players including hoppyKnitz and Giga Bowser. 1stDan even gave Penguin a scare at RCS Air, narrowly dropping the set 1-2. This is 1stDan’s debut of the Rivals Top 50 list, and we hope to see more of him in the future!
17. Jesier
Much like our #18 rank, Jesier set out to enjoy himself in Season 5, with less of a focus on grinding the game. Jesier entered the minimum number of events but collected 9th place at each of them, including the RCS Finals. At the Finals, Jesier found his bracket path to be full of hidden bosses that had entered their only event of the season, besting the likes of gracefulknight, Adi, and LBO on an epic losers run.
16. Protagify
Protagify put a focus on practicing secondaries this season, using Clairen in winners side of each Elemental Major while saving Absa for losers. When the RCS Finals came around, Protagify unleashed the Absa in full force, taking down Squanto and Mentos on the way to his best placement of the year at 9th. During 2020, Protagify has put in a considerable effort into revamping his creation, the Rivals Academy Discord, via streams, VoD uploads, and more! His desire to work with and grow the community is truly inspiring, and we cannot wait to see what he does next.
15. MattyIce
MattyIce had one of the more interesting seasons on our Top 50 list, having fantastic results topped off with a stunning 5th place run in RCS Water. On that run, MattyIce became one of only four players to beat Penguin this season, a feat that sent ripples through the bracket. Outside of the game, MattyIce works for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays. It seems fitting that his two worlds of competitive gaming and baseball collide as MattyIce also holds several world records in the Mario Superstar Baseball Speedrunning community.
14. Levin
Over his three events, Levin managed to score some impressive upsets, all culminating into his breakout Top 8 placement at RCS Earth. Levin propelled himself into the spotlight with victories over CheesyPotato, and the previous Major’s winner, Blue. He ended his season on a high note and Levin’s upward trending performances and leap in 23 ranks from Season 4 are indicative of greatness for years to come.
“No, I can’t knit”
13. hoppyKnitz
HoppyKnitz returned to Season 5 ready to compete, having perfect attendance in both RCS Season 5 and our Summer ROCS circuit. Over the six Season 5 events, hoppyKnitz broke into Top 8 at RCS Earth, becoming the only player outside of the Top 10 to beat Seggo. Outside of competition, hoppyKnitz is a part of the Beta Team, makes music, and plays League of Legends for fun while balancing studies as a computer science student. HoppyKnitz has been a dedicated Rivals player since 2016 and aims to reach new heights next season.
12. Flarey
Flarey started off 2020 with a bang, placing 2nd at CEO Dreamland, with local wins over Guard and Backpack just before lockdown began. Fast-forward through the ROCS, Flarey became a consistent threat with sporadic upsets leading into the RCS. She earned Top 8 at RCS Air and 9th place at RCS Water by becoming the only player to have an undefeated record against Penguin and eliminating him at RCS Water. As 2020 progressed, so did her consistency, and we fully expect her to become the first Sylvanos to crack the Top 10 in future seasons.
11. MSB
MSB comes in at #11 with his trademark showmanship. He placed Top 8 in three separate events this season, racking up wins over the likes of Levin, hoppyKnitz, HKP, and more. MSB is an active Beta Tester and Rivals Academy moderator, taking his role as a community leader online while locals are off the table. As a career Kragg main, it seems fitting that he plays Malphite in League of Legends and grew up watching his favorite wrestler – The Rock. MSB is our first Top 50 member to have won an Elemental Champion prize by placing the highest in RCS Earth with only characters of that element, netting him a free shirt with his trademark grey Kragg from the RCS Shop earlier this year.
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everyone is a massive hunk here