Super Smash Brother’s Ultimate is nearing its 6th anniversary, but the competitive scene shows no signs of slowing down. And with the meta still being ever evolving, the top players are changing as well.
The best players in Ultimate all have one factor or another that make them either the best at their chosen main, or simply the best in the world. But with so many new contenders still making names for themselves, the race for the title of number one is still highly contentious.
Here’s our picks for who’s currently the best of the best, and who you need to watch a highlight reel of right away.
Number 15: Zomba
Widely considered to be the best R.O.B main in the world, the 18 year old Zomba starts our list off with a bang. Often seeming overconfident and heel-like during interviews, Zomba has been making quite the name for himself ever since 2018, claiming win after win against top rated players and even earning R.O.B’s back air the nickname of the “Zombair”.
Watch a VOD of any of Zomba’s tournament wins, and you will see that not only is he a master of utilizing R.O.B’s projectiles in neutral to rack up damage, but he is often able to steal kills at disgustingly low percents with side B or the famous Zombair.
14: Dabuz
Dabuz holds the title of “King of New York”, and for good reason. He plays mainly Rosalina & Luma, a character with little representation near the top of player rankings, as well as Olimar, and is one of if not the best user of both. Having been a top player in both Brawl and Smash 4, Dabuz has been one of Ultimate’s most successful players, having recently won Critical Mass in Melrose, Massachusetts, though he has famously never won an Ultimate major.
This is not for lack of skill, however, as Dabuz has an incredibly potent defensive gameplan with Rosalina and Luma that makes approaching quite tricky for his opponent, while his knowledge of each different Pikmin’s properties make his Olimar gameplay extremely technical.
13: Tea
When you think of galaxy-brained Pac-Man combos, you think of Tea. A Pac-Man and Kazuya main from the Shiga Prefecture of Kansai, Japan, Tea is not only the only player to win an Ultimate major with Pac-Man, but was also the first Ultimate player to win a major in all 3 main competitive territories of England, Japan and North America.
Tea’s Pac-Man gameplay is truly something to behold, with Bonus Fruit offering him so many different combo routes and options to rack up percent while keeping himself safe. But when he has that bell in hand, you’re playing a whole new game…
12: Light
A core competitive player since the start of Ultimate’s competitive scene, Light is well known to be the best Ultimate Fox player (possibly of all time?) in addition to being one of the best Doubles teams with Mars, having 6 doubles major wins under their belts. Though his performance has varied, especially after the return to online play post-pandemic, Light has again and again proved himself as one of the greats, having won Litvitaional 3 against Lima this past October.
Light’s Fox is peak rundown fighter, being able to apply constant pressure with a barrage of practically lagless aerials as well as having an amazing ledge trapping game, 2-framing with down smash or applying insurmountable shield pressure with back air.
11: Riddles
A master of the fighting game characters, Riddles has seen some amazing success with both Terry and Kazuya, being the first Kazuya solo main to win an Ultimate major. He’s one of the younger top players, being only 21, but has made quite a name for himself with his incredible performance with both characters, having placed 2nd most recently at CEO 2024 this past June.
Riddles excels at taking one opportunity and running away with it. With Terry, he is able to exert immense pressure to rack up damage, and plays passive only when his “GO” meter is active. And with Kazuya, it only takes one Electric Wind God Fist to see his opponent go from 0 to… Well, 0 again, but with 1 less stock.
10: Glutonny
Glutonny, or Gluto, holds the illustrious title of being considered the greatest European Ultimate player all time, in addition to being the best Wario main there is (you’ll notice that that’s a trend for most of these players.) Having an extensive doubles career as well, Glutonny has been one of the greats of Ultimate for a long time. He has won 6 majors across all 3 main competitive territories, and is well known for wielding several secondary characters to great effect.
But when you think Gluto, you think Wario, and for good reason. With incredible air movement and offensive pressure, Glutonny makes good use of all of Wario’s tools to rack up damage fast, and with the insane power of Wario’s waft many players often remark that playing against Gluto feels like starting with 1 less stock.
9: MKLeo
The goat. MKLeo is my favorite Ultimate player, and while he may not hold the crown any more, he was at one point the best Smash Ultimate player of all time. While he may have been usurped, MKLeo is still an incredible player, having dominated as Joker, Byleth and several other characters for years and having reached the grand finals of 37 consecutive Ultimate offline tournaments (this guy is good).
Both his Joker and Byleth are the perfect example of a mastery of the fundamentals, as well as an incredible bait and punish game, with Leo able to turn a single opportunity into a taken stock over and over again. And though others may have passed him over the course of Ultimate’s history, he will always be the goat to me.
8: Shadic
Another younger player similar to Zomba, the 17 year old SHADIC has been making some extreme waves recently, being considered the best Corrin in the world and being the first to take home a major win using the character. Not only has he been changing the community’s perspective about the strengths of Corrin, but he’s proved himself against some of the all time greats, and most recently took home the gold at The Luminosity Invitational this past April.
SHADIC is the prime example of how crazy Corrin can be, using a combination of amazing spacing as well as safe landings with neutral air to maintain neutral, in addition to going deep off stage with back air to apply some insane off-stage pressure. But when it’s time to get a kill, you can bet that SHADIC will land a Side-B pin to close a stock.
7: Shuton
The closer we get to the top, the more we see players who are masters of this game, and Shuton fits that title to a T. Known for having both the best Olimar and Aegis (my personal main), Shuton has been a top 10 player for the majority of Ultimate’s competitive lifetime, remaining undefeated by MKLeo even during the height of his career.
If Dabuz was amazing with Olimar, Shuton is the best. With incredibly explosive combos thanks to the absurd frame data of Up smash, as well as the terrifying kill power of the Purple Pikmin that Shuton loves to stockpile throughout a match, this player makes sure that his opponent isn’t safe wherever they are on stage.
6: Hurt
The zoning that Snake is capable of is just absurd, and no one shows that off better than the best Snake main in the world, Hurt. Only beginning to seriously compete in 2023, Hurt’s star has been constantly on the rise, winning huge tournaments like Battle of BC 6, Snake’s first major win, and KOWLOON #13 most recently.
Hurt’s gameplan is all about utilizing Snake’s projectiles to rack up damage while keeping himself safe. Nikita, C4 and his upsmash fill the screen with hitboxes, but it’s the ever present grenade and how Hurt uses it that elevates his performance to be one of the best.
5: Miya
We’ve reached our top 5, and who better to start it off than with the best Game & Watch in the world, Miya. Also sporting Steve and Mii Swordfighter as secondaries (truly playing both ends of the tier list), Miya was notoriously a part of the Four Horsemen of Smash Ultimate for a time, 4 players who were considered the best and most terrifying to play against once MKLeo fell from the top spot. And Miya has more than earned this spot.
Miya’s Mr. Game & Watch is one of consistency, with a practically non existent disadvantage state thanks to Fire and down air. He deals steady damage throughout the match while never putting himself in too much danger, and is able to go for deep edge guards through excellent use of both forward and back air.
4: Tweek
Though not one of the Four Horsemen, Tweek absolutely deserves a spot this high on our list. Boasting one of the biggest rosters of secondaries out of all top players, Tweek has been a major threat for most if not all of Ultimate’s competitive life, having won majors every year the game has been released and doing so with several different characters. Though all pale in the face of his Diddy Kong.
Tweek has broken this character down to a science. He has anincredible punish game, finding any cracks in his opponents play, any opening, and turning that opportunity into huge damage or a clean kill. He has revolutionized the way people see Diddy Kong’s Banana Peel, as he is able to do so much more with it than the community has thought possible.
3: Sonix
Oh, Sonix. Though I may not like Sonic’s playstyle in Ultimate, I have to give credit to how the best Sonic in the world has become an absolute terror when wielding this character. Another one of the Four Horsemen, Sonix was initially regarded as one of the best online players before his incredible success as an offline player. With an incredible 10 top two streak at major tournaments this past year, Sonix is one of the most consistent players Ultimate has to offer.
Sonix plays Sonic as defensively as one can imagine, running in to rack up percent with a quick combo or grab a kill before running away using Sonic’s incredible mobility. Once Sonix is up a stock, you can bet that he’ll have no qualms camping out his opponent until time is up.
2: Spargo
The best Cloud in the world and another of the Four Horsemen, Spargo is another younger player who has made his way to the top, being only 18 at the time of writing this. Spargo is, in my opinion, the best player in North America, and performs excellently against almost everyone he plays against, having placed first at Supernova 2024, Riptide 2024, and PSKSHOWDOWN #08 most recently
Spargo’s Cloud is what perfection of fundamentals looks like, as well as an incredible ability to adapt. Not only does Spargo never let Cloud’s recovery hold him back, but he is also able to adjust his playstyle on the fly to use certain aerials more or less in certain matchups. And there is nothing scarier than Sprago’s Cloud back airing your shield at ledge, for even the smallest misstep could spell game over.
1: あcola, or acola
We’ve finally reached number 1, and who better to sit on the throne than the final member of the Four Horsemen, the best player of the best character in the game, Steve, and the best player in the world, acola. This guy is good. Currently LumiRank’s number 1 player at only 18, acola has had a monumental run, winning or reaching grand finals at nearly every major tournament he attends. You need only look at any recent tournament result, like DELTA #8 or Sumabato SP52, to see just how consistent of a player he is.
Watch any acola match, and you will see both why Steve is the best character in the game, and why acola is the best player. Insane combo strings thanks to up tilt and blocks, disgusting early kills with Anvil or Powered Minecart, and his willingness to force his opponent to approach lest he mine for materials are why acola sits at the top, and why he’s our pick for the best Smash Ultimate player.
