“D-tilt –> short-hop –> missile –> down special–> u-strong. Call that the Halite Drop.”
10. Halite
Halite makes his debut on the Rivals Top 50 after multiple years of his legends being told. Halite entered RCS Air with impressive wins over Levin, Protagify, and Ceroas before DQing at 9th place to internet issues. A few months later, Halite received the gift of ethernet connection and all eyes were on him for a deep bracket run. Halite did just that, punching and shooting his way to winners finals after a thrilling game 5 victory over Kusi. Halite’s two events may have been unconventional, but it is clear that his time in the spotlight is well earned. The prospect of seeing Halite’s relentless Elliana in future online events is absolutely thrilling, and we expect big things next season!
9. CheesyPotato
CheesyPotato has been playing Rivals since 2016 and picked up the competitive bug a few years later thanks to fellow New Yorkers, Nexplosion and Dudbass. Over the course of the season, CheesyPotato had been on the cusp of Top 8 placements in multiple majors, falling just shy until her spectacular run in the RCS Finals. In one of the most difficult bracket paths to date, CheesyPotato scored back to back upsets over two separate Elemental Major winners, Xaro and Seggo. CheesyPotato’s 5th place finish at the RCS Finals was the result of hard work and perseverance after gradually improving her placements all season long.
8. Squanto
Sqaunto leaps onto the RCS Top 50 with three consecutive Top 8 placements to start off the season. As the highest ranked solo Ranno on the Top 50, Squanto placed in the Top 8 of every single ROCS event and Elemental Major that he entered, only breaking that streak in the RCS Finals. Squanto tallied wins against the likes of ZeeBee and CakeAssault while only losing a single set to players ranked below him.
“I only play a certain group of people and I use my amazing brain to teach them the secrets of RoA.”
7. Blue
As one of the breakout stars of Season 4, Mike (A.K.A. Blue) continued his trend of whirlwind appearances in Season 5 by winning his first official event since the beginning of lockdown from winners side. Prior to RCS Air in October 2020, the last time we saw Mike on the big stage was at Genesis 7 in January of that same year. Following his blistering performance at RCS Air, Mike brought out his Zetterburn for another shutout victory at a non-RCS event, Kingpin 4, followed by a solo Ranno run with victories over MSB and Xaro to place 4th at RCS Water. Mike is clearly a man of many talents with a focus on enjoying himself. Mike prides himself in helping train his friends in Rivals, and was exuberant to witness the accomplishments of players that have not previously been able to attend locals like Flarey, CheesyPotato, Squanto, and Kusi.
“Free Will is an illusion.”
6. ZeeBee
ZeeBee is a former New York Kragg that has recently found his way to Colorado, which has expanded his horizons in the online Rivals scene. ZeeBee has shown time and time again that he is a constant threat in brackets, placing Top 8 in three separate Majors while earning 1-1 records against Squanto, Blue, CakeAssault, and Xaro. As the first returning member of our Top 10, Season 5 marks the third year in a row that ZeeBee has moved up in ranking.
5. CakeAssault
CakeAssault returns as one of the most famous names to ever touch the game, stressing the importance of enjoying himself during our online season before he can reconnect with his friends from Pittsburgh and New Jersey once locals return. Over the course of 2020, CakeAssault began forming a rivalry of sorts with Xaro, trading sets left and right as Xaro became more and more consistent. Their conflict has concluded for now, with CakeAssault triumphantly eliminating his foe and placing 4th in the RCS Finals. Among his accomplishments in Season 5, CakeAssault recorded perfect attendance and earned Top 8 in five of six Majors. Outside of the game, CakeAssault is an actuarial math major at University of Pittsburgh with a love for Super Smash Bros. Melee.
4. Seggo
Seggo comes in at a much deserved #4 with three Top 8 finishes. The highlight of the season is undoubtedly his undefeated 1st place run at RCS Water, where his famous Elliana aided in completing a nearly solo Ranno bracket. While the character swap may have been surprising to some, Seggo’s season was full of character diversity as he possesses one of the most comprehensive full-cast proficiencies in the community. During Season 5, he only fell to five different players over the course of four events while never placing below 9th at a Major. Seggo finds solace in the Rivals community thanks to his friends that lift up and inspire him at every turn. His favorite moments of the season were winning his first RCS event and competing in the RCS Finals with his teammate, Ahntye.
“Shout-outs to ELPE for convincing me to pick up Ori.”
3. Kusi
Kusi makes his first ever appearance on the Rivals Top 50 with an astonishing Top 3 ranking. Kusi first picked up Rivals as a Kragg main around the release of Ori & Sein in 2017. It was not until April of 2020 that Kusi first used his Ori secondary in bracket which, as fate would have it, would become the first bracket Kusi had ever won. Taking this as a sign, Kusi began grinding the game and improving exponentially while more than tripling his previous 1,000 hours spent in Rivals during 2020. Kusi entered all six Season 5 events, never missing Top 8 a single time and placing 2nd in each of the final two events. His overall consistency during Season 5 and skyrocketing improvement has earned him nearly everything a player can only dream of. We suspect that Kusi will be taking home the first place trophy in Majors on the not too distant horizon.
“Finally brought home the win at finals, see everyone next Genesis. :)”
2. Penguin
Penguin takes the 2nd place ranking for the second year in a row after a truly electrifying Season 5. Collecting two 1st place finishes this season, Penguin finally overcame his curse and took home the gold at our Finals event. He has beaten each of the nine Top 10 players that he has faced, with perfect records on seven of them. On top of his head-to-head wins, Penguin has placed in the Top 4 at five of the six Majors this season. He first started playing the game at Super Smash Con 2016 with FullStream as his mentor, CakeAssault as his practice partner, and Zeke as his coach to help cement him where he is today. As with seasons past, Penguin remains an immovable object to nearly every competitor and is a stone cold killer that requires near perfection to best in bracket.
1. Xaro
Jumping from 5th in Season 4 to 1st in Season 5 is no easy feat. Xaro made Top 8 in every single Major in Season 5 while hoisting virtual trophies in RCS Fire and RCS Earth. As far as player match-ups go, Xaro holds a 5-2 record over Penguin while only dropping sets to Top 10 players and having a single negative head-to-head record against Blue. Xaro’s favorite moment of Season 5 was his immaculate losers run in RCS Earth, where he won seven straight sets by toppling Seggo, hoppyKnitz, MSB, CakeAssault, Kusi, then finally resetting and finishing off Penguin to win the event.
Xaro has become just the third player to ever earn a first place ranking in five seasons of the Top 50. It is nearly impossible to believe that another year has come and gone in what seems like a time vacuum with us crowning the Frostbite 2020 champions seemingly yesterday. We would like to once again thank the community from the bottom of our hearts for coming together and making Season 5 such a success despite the extreme circumstances in the real world. We hope for a safe return of local events in the future; but until then, please stay safe and keep a lookout for future official events coming soon!
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ZEEEBEE IS A MASSIVE HUNK!!! HOLY MOLY