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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.

View more articles in the Season Five Online NA Rankings Series:

• Introduction
• #50 – 41
• #40 – 31
• #30 – 21
• #20 – 11 (You are here.)
• #10 – 1

30. Lattim

Lattim returns to the Season 5 Top 50, entering both circuit Finals events with two Top 32 finishes and wins over CheesyPotato, Death By Hugs, Bookworm, and more.

29. Buster

Buster makes their first appearance on the Rivals Top 50 with five different Top 32 placements throughout the season. Buster’s consistent placements made him a force to be reckoned with, notching victories over the likes of Flarey, Windows, Danzello, and more.

28. Ceroas

Ceroas is a well established Absa mentor and the head Tournament Organizer for the Rivals Amateur Series, A.K.A. RAS, in the Rivals Academy Discord. After years of competing, this is Ceroas’ first season with enough events to qualify for Top 50, doing so in impressive fashion with results ranging from 33rd to 9th place. While falling just shy of their stretch goal of top 8 in an RCS event, Ceroas has certainly scratched the surface and we expect those results to start rolling in soon.

“Etalus Is The Best”

27. FullStream

A champion of the ages, FullStream has been enlightened the past few seasons by approaching the game with a more lighthearted outlook. Going into Season 5, FullStream aimed to play more of the cast while taking a heavy focus on content creation such as his tutorials on YouTube and his highly informative Twitch streams. Not withstanding, FullStream still managed to come out swinging with a 5th place showing at the ROCS Finals, touting a victory over his old adversary, CakeAssault. FullStream marks the first Top 50 member to earn Top 8 finish.

26. Kobra

Kobra is a former Xbox player that found solace in cheering on and performing against his friends during Season 5. Kobra’s Wrastor continues to impress, placing Top 32 in five of six events and earning 9th place at RCS Fire. His flashy punish game and consistently impressive results after his breakout performance at the latest Super Smash Con signal a lasting presence in the top of the Rivals meta-game.

25. Mentos

After dominant performances throughout the entirety of the ROCS, including a 4th place finish in the Finals, Mentos took an unconventional path during Season 5 by playing to the elemental theme of each major. While this made his performances less consistent and more open to upsets, Mentos still earned 7th place in RCS Fire with solo Forsburn and placed in the Top 32 for three of the four remaining RCS events. Playing to the elemental themes with Forsburn, Wrastor, Maypul, and Ranno allowed Mentos to have a bit more fun following the grueling ROCS grind. Outside of Rivals, Mentos enjoys himself with games such as Them’s Fightin’ Herds, Destiny 2, Geometry Dash, and Garry’s Mod.

24. Windows

Windows is a former Florida tyrant who recently moved to Wisconsin between RCS seasons. Windows aimed to ramp up his stream during lockdown by keeping a consistent schedule and making sure each of his tournament runs were played live for his viewers. Keeping his focus on content creation, Windows rarely brought out his famous Wrastor to accompany his main for the season, Kragg. Despite the shift in focus, Windows placed Top 32 in all three of his events, making a surprisingly strong losers run in the RCS Finals to earn his best placement of 9th.

“You don’t need to be unique in order to feel special”

23. Soulrifle211

Soulrifle211 is a Maypul player from Georgia with aspirations of becoming the best in the game. Since his first offline event at Dreamhack Atlanta 2019, Soulrifle211 has hit the grind, making new friendships, focusing on pushing his character to new heights, and improving his mentality along the way. Soulrifle211 wants to be the best, and have fun doing it.

“A beautiful shot won’t always hit. But, a proper shot is extremely beautiful.”

22. Starbos

Starbos set out with a simple goal this season, to work on consistency and to place at or above his seed at each event. While accomplishing this goal was no easy feat, Starbos earned victories against CheesyPotato, Flarey, and hoppyKnitz among others. Starbos’ game 5 stunner over Giga Bowser was his favorite moment from the season, one that might be shared with many of our viewers. Starbos originally staarted playing Rivals in 2016, and despite feeling accomplished in Season 4, jumped up an impressive 9 spots on the list in Season 5.

21. Giga Bowser

Giga Bowser is one of the game’s top Sylvanos players, and a huge reason for the character’s surge in the meta. Giga Bowser placed in the Top 32 of all six events this season, with three separate 13th placements. Giga Bowser had a breakout event at RCS Water with a wins over his bracket demon, CheesyPotato. After jumping up 9 placements from Season 4, we hope to see Giga Bowser continue the climb and break into the Top 20 next season!

View more articles in the Season Five Online NA Rankings Series:

• Introduction
  
• #50 – 41
• #40 – 31
• #30 – 21 (You are here.)
• #20 – 11
• #10 – 1

40. CRSDCrusader

CRSDCrusader is the head of the Texas Rivals of Aether scene, organizing several online tournaments for the region and even creating a Power Ranking system for Texas. CRSDCrusader started to see dramatic growth this year, placing consistently in the Top 2 of the Official Rivals of Aether Discord Weeklies and 13th in RCS Earth.

“She is not in the room. She is currently unloading the dishwasher and I’m not helping her because it’s not my dishwasher.”

39. Darai

Darai originally set out this season to collect the Champion DLC Skins, but found steady improvement over the course of the season. Darai attributes his involvement with the community to Ahntye, who encouraged him to take the game more seriously at the onset of 2020. Darai has recently taken up a leadership role for California, launching a brand new Power Ranking season for their players. If you are a California Rivals player and would like more information, please contact darai via Twitter.

“A true baller never misses their shot.”

38. Mr. Olsen

Mr. Olsen is a middle school band teacher that has been playing Rivals since Early Access, with little opportunity to travel to events. Mr. Olsen has seen a steady rise in his gameplay over the past year, as he practices often with his deadly Florida counterparts. Mr. Olsen accomplished his goal of making Top 50 this year, and blew everyone away with a 3rd place finish in the RCS Finals Doubles side event alongside his partner, MattyIce. Now that Season 5 has come and passed, he has been arranging and recording video game covers on his Twitter, so be sure to check it out!

37. Wai

After entering his first ever local at Genesis 7 and earning a spot on our Hidden Bosses list last year, Wai decided to enter the final two events of Season 5 in order to qualify for this year’s rankings! Wai placed in Top 32 in both of his events, tallying victories over Bagel and darai along the way. All of this success with so few events under his belt makes it clear that Wai has great potential, something we hope to see blossom in our future seasons.

36. Death By Hugs

Death By Hugs has been playing Rivals since the alpha version. Over the course of five and a half years, he has seen a lot of growth with his eyes set on a career as an Aerospace Engineer. Who better to speak to his experience than himself:

“I started playing Rivals of Aether as an alpha tester at the ripe, young age of 11 years old. I’m 17 now. Admittedly, this community has seen both the best and worst of me. I am eternally grateful for the encouragement, support, and patience of my family and friends, as well as my crew, NEO! These people got me through tough times as they sharpened my play. Even though I take competition quite seriously, I have more importantly grown to be a better person because of all the wonderful people who play this game. Thank you for all you do, gamers.”

“Honor. No matter how dire the battle, never forsake it.”

35. Zora

Zora exceeded his goals this season by not only making it onto the Top 50 list for the first time ever, but by showing up on day two at the 35 spot! Not only did Zora prove to be a consistent threat in the ROCS earlier this year by terrorizing the Qualifiers, he also eventually placed 9th in the ROCS Finals to top off the circuit. While his attendance began to dwindle during the RCS Season, Zora carried that moxie into the RCS Finals Workshop by placing 5th in our official side event.

“Never tell me the odds.”

34. Guard

A Tampa local and one of the deadliest Clairens in the game, Guard became more active in the tail end of Season 5. While he only placed Top 32 in one of his 3 events, Guard had some unrelenting consistency, only dropping sets to players ranked above him. Guard considers himself to be primarily an offline player with intense motivation to hit the ground running with a bottled water in hand when locals eventually return.

33. ELPE

ELPE is a longtime player, dating back to our September 2015 Early Access release. After several years, ELPE picked up Maypul and began to see stark improvement. After a strong 9th place showing in Frostbite 2019, it was only a matter of time until we saw ELPE on a future Top 50 ranking. ELPE has been hitting the grind ever since the pandemic struck, practicing daily for months and earning a 1st place ranking on the recent Texas Power Rankings.

“I have an idea. I think my caps lock is lagging my internet.”

32. Nbad

Nbad is known for his unique brand of double dunks with both of his characters. Nbad typically finds himself in an online environment, making this the perfect season to show off his talent. He entered the last three events of Season 5, placing Top 32 in RCS Earth and winning several impressive sets against Guard, Wai, and Mr. Olsen in the RCS Finals to secure his best placement of 17th.

31. Bagel
Bagel is known for his fearsome Etalus that has, in a past season, gone so far as to beat the best player in the world. As of late Bagel has been whipping his Zetterburn into shape, putting a heavy focus on the task during Season 5. While his Etalus may be taking a bit of a back seat, it still has the ability to strike fear into his opponents when called upon, leading Bagel to a stellar 9th place at RCS Water. Outside of the game itself, Bagel has taken up a leadership role and has been working on his local scene by hosting region-locked tournaments to build up his community.

View more articles in the Season Five Online NA Rankings Series:

• Introduction
  
• #50 – 41
• #40 – 31 (You are here.)
• #30 – 21
• #20 – 11
• #10 – 1

50. Vivi

Vivi, formally known as Prime, made their first appearance on the RCS Top 50 in Season 4. Vivi attended five of the six eligible events this season, racking up impressive wins on the likes of MSB, Mystic Deer, and more with their signature Ranno.

49. Zachial

Zachial piloted their Orcane with some impressive consistency throughout Season 5, while cracking Top 32 in RCS Fire and not placing below 49th in their five events.

“I LOVE CASUAL SCRUB WOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

48. OoDaShadowTheft

OoDaShadowTheft makes their debut on the Rivals Top 50. After first picking up the game in 2016, OoDaShadowTheft did not catch the competitive bug until 2019, where they contacted and subsequently trained with Guard, a top Clairen mentor in the Rivals Academy server. OoDaShadowTheft attributes their rapid growth to this experience, and was able to secure several Top 50 wins with impressive consistency throughout all six events of Season 5.

47. Mystic Deer

Mystic Deer is our first player to have multiple Top 32 placements in eligible events. Mystic Deer is a Xbox player that has migrated to the PC version of the game with a keen love of the outdoors and the gym. Mystic Deer works in the airline industry and is excited to use this benefit travel to majors once they return. We are very excited to see the rise of Mystic Deer first hand!

“I will always be me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

46. Akashi

Akashi is no stranger to the Rivals Top 50 with his iconic Absa as his co-pilot. While securing a Top 32 finish in RCS Water and even taking down Giga Bowser this season, Akashi turned his focus to improving his stream for our time on an online platform. He remained active and intent on studying the game, entering five of the eligible events while holding down commentary on the sixth. His kind soul and infectious attitude are always highlights of our events. We hope to see him on the mic more often as events continue into future seasons!

45. Oogapooki

Oogapooki makes their first Top 50 appearance after years of online tournaments. Oogapooki has never been to an offline tournament before, so the prospect of a completely online season was perfect. He made Top 32 twice this season, with a breakout performance at RCS fire, placing 17th after key wins over Ceroas and Zora before falling to CakeAssault in a nail-biter finish. Outside of Rivals, Oogapooki works as a video editor for various Twitch streamers, while being in front of the camera on occasion for his own stream.

44. Menace13

Menace13 has been well known in the Rivals community since his first event in 2016. Menace13 is hyper-involved with seemingly every aspect of the community as he juggles competing, T.O. responsibilities, seeding most major tournaments for the community, statistics tracking, and beta-testing the game. With all of this on his plate, Menace 13 managed to place in the Top 32 of two of our six eligible events, all while earning impressive wins over players such as Levin and OoDaShadowTheft and placing 2nd in the RCS Finals Tetherball Doubles event. If you ever need any questions answered about the game, listen to Dan, “Ask Menace, he’ll know.”

43. Danzello

Danzello’s Zetterburn made an appearance at every Elemental Major and the RCS Finals this season. Danzello secured victories over players such as Lucius and Menace13 during the regular season, before eventually finding a huge win over Windows in the Finals. With sporadic upsets throughout the season and stunningly flashy combos Danzello has proven time and time again that he can pose a threat to anyone’s bracket run.

42. Bookworm

Bookworm is widely recognized as one of the best Elliana’s in the game. As one of the heads of the Wisconsin/Illinois local scene, she was heavily involved in the organizing and running of brackets before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Reina has taken her talents online and has remained a constant bracket threat this season with two Top 32 finishes and victories over players such as Ceroas and Wai, all while aiming some of that work ethic towards new hobbies such as voice acting, cosplay, and story writing.

41. Tapscott

Tapscott only entered two of our Elemental Majors, but was able to perform well at each. Known for his Orcane, Tapscott brought out a new secondary Wrastor this season to spice things up a bit. In his two events, Tapscott was able to notably take down Windows, darai, and Minty along the way.

View more articles in the Season Five Online NA Rankings Series:

• Introduction
  
• #50 – 41 (You are here.)
• #40 – 31
• #30 – 21
• #20 – 11
• #10 – 1