EURank 2024: 50-41

Out of the many eligible players, these are the people who managed to stand out enough to claim their spot in the top 50. Congratulations to everyone who made it, we hope you can accomplish even greater things this year!

EURank2024 Honourable Mentions

#50: Fecfec

Score: 49.53

Last year, Fecfec and her sister, i4, stunned the global Melee scene with their unforgettable game-five banger set against Top 5 players Cody Schwab and Jmook. The aftermath of that match brought the two sisters tons of love, support, and generosity from all corners of the world. Not only did the duo gain new fans and become known internationally, but they also cemented themselves as rising stars of the game.

For Fecfec, 2024 marked a new beginning in her Melee career. To make it a year to remember, she traveled over 5,000 miles to compete in Genesis X, her first-ever supermajor. Parasol in hand, she found herself in a thrilling round-one pools match against doubles specialist Nickemwit. In a back-and-forth set, Fecfec managed to clutch a nail-biting game three, last-stock situation over the Captain Falcon main—a matchup Nickemwit is notoriously great at. While she wasn’t able to replicate similar success in her next match versus Gahtzu, she still delivered an impressive performance at a supermajor, finishing 129th and even sending a former Top 100 player to the losers' bracket.

At FESTA 2024, the French Peach continued to showcase greatness with an incredible run to 9th place, defeating notable opponents along the way like Nobody, Madness, and Martin. Her year was further highlighted by several regional wins, including victories over respected players such as Mr. Rit, Psylo, Wolf, and Yruama. However, her run at SAPF was cut short due to a DQ after pools because of work commitments. Despite this setback, her strong performances throughout the year were just enough to earn her a well-deserved spot on the EU Top 50 rankings.

If there is any indication of her growing list of achievements, performances, and unwavering support of the community, then Fecfec’s singles career is poised to rival her doubles success. As she continues to have deep bracket runs and make more international appearances, she’s well on her way to solidifying her legacy as one of the best players to ever come out of France. Elle est vraiment phénoménale!

- lovestory4a

#49: IuDKing

Score: 48.11

Amidst chatter all over the world about the "Donkey Kong renaissance" era of Melee, one player of the premier primate has decided that this would be his year to shoot his coconut gun for the stars—that player being none other than IuDKing. With an attendance record of no fewer than 15 European tournaments outside of his home country of Spain, no one could deny that he tried his hardest to work his way to the top. These efforts were eventually rewarded with a very strong win over Rikzz at SAPF, followed by victories over BigM and Chaos6, culminating in a solid 17th-place finish at Europe’s largest event of the year.

This was just the highlight of a season in which IuDKing also collected wins in the United Kingdom over Joefish, Rain, and CptNebula, and in Germany twice over Geldmann. Additionally, in Finland, he won Östis 2024 II over several of Finland's ranked players, including Salevits, Acke, Niku, and Maunorr, ultimately double-eliminating the Swedish Fox, Nobody, to take home the gold—proving all over Europe that if this monkey gets his hands on you, it’s gonna hurt.

- Noxxa

#48: jhabs

Score: 46.97

An American on the EU rank? Originating from Boston, MA, this Falco has made a name for himself in Europe rather than back at home. The unique thing about jhabs is that his first-ever tournament was Pound 2021 online, followed by Shine 2022 and a few Boston locals in 2023. He has entered a total of 30 offline events, and in that short amount of time, jhabs has gained a few notable accolades. From debuting on Germany’s Summer 2024 PR (#13) to squeezing into a Top 50 spot on the EU rank, jhabs has made it clear that he’s good enough to hang with Europe’s best players.

One of his best runs occurred at SAPF, where he placed 17th by defeating Blaze, maxono, Mr. Rit, and Raptori. He also went to game five with kins0 but was unable to clutch out the win against Germany’s second-best player. Nevertheless, jhabs demonstrated that his ceiling is high and that he’s capable of making major upsets in the future. At Warehouse War 4, he even took Zamu to game three, so it won’t be a surprise when he eventually beats a Top 100 player. In moments when he was poised to make an upset, jhabs would come through—like when he sent Feradit to losers at Super Smash BXL 9.

Throughout 2024, jhabs was able to take home first place a couple of times, with a noteworthy run at Manabar Melee: The Finale. At this event, jhabs defeated MadeInShineA twice, both resulting in game-five heartstoppers. When jhabs gets an opening, he makes sure to get the most juice out of it, often resulting in the swift deletion of his opponent’s stocks.

Since arriving in Germany, jhabs has significantly leveled up his Melee skills, and it would be sweet to see how he performs back on the East Coast. For someone who doesn’t have many tournaments under his belt, jhabs’ short Melee career has been nothing but exceptionally impressive. The sky has no limits for this green bird.

- lovestory4a

#47: Geldmann

Score: 46.69

Seeing an up-and-coming player from your own region is always delightful. In this case, I have the privilege to tell y’all about Geldmann, who is my neighbor. Geldmann started out as a Fox player at an age when he was too young to enter local tournaments since they were held in a bar. But he and his best friend attended every smashfest they could, and everyone who played them knew that these teenage Foxes had the potential to become major players. It took Geldmann a main switch to Falco and some years of experience, mostly locally, to realize his potential on an international scale.

Having been up-and-coming for years, 2024 proved to be his breakout season. He turned the tides on many of his former bracket demons, most notably IuDKing and Kaese. Locally, he also established himself as the player to beat, surpassing longtime rivals Nikstrat, Parsecco, and myself.

The consistency with which the blazing-fast and incredibly creative Falco took over his city was emblematic of his dedication to the grind. He took his practice more seriously, worked on his mentality, and put in countless hours on Slippi. In the wake of his newfound discipline, he was rewarded with well-deserved wins against EU-wide staples such as Blaze, Velani, and Pi, and he went agonizingly close against many other high-level players.

Closing out the year finishing just outside the top 16 of SAPF, the largest tournament his home country of Germany has ever seen, Geldmann netted himself a spot within the top 50 of EU Melee for the first time ever. We’re looking forward to seeing more from him in the next ranking.

- yung Ullrich

#46: flippy_o

Score: 46.37

flippy_o made history in 2024, becoming only the second Danish player ever to earn a spot on the European rankings. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this achievement coincided with him finally clinching the No. 2 spot in Denmark—a feat no new player has accomplished since 2019. While his skill has been steadily rising within Denmark’s borders, this year marked his international breakout as he attended multiple major events across Europe, securing prestigious wins at every single one.

At Valhalla IV, he defeated the strong American player (and notorious moky-slayer) Joey Donuts, showcasing his impressive prowess in the Falco matchup in front of the home crowd. Later in the year, he followed that up with a dominant 3-0 victory over Squiltendorf at SAPF—a player who narrowly missed attendance requirements but was otherwise poised for a top 20 ranking.

Beyond his competitive success, flippy_o has been equally impactful as a cornerstone tournament organizer for Aarhus, one of Denmark’s two primary regions. He has played a crucial role in fostering both his local and national scenes.

With his debut year on the European rankings, flippy_o carries on Denmark’s proud tradition of producing terrifying mid-tier mains who keep the rest of the continent honest. And as Valhalla V approaches this April, he’ll undoubtedly be looking to make another statement on Danish soil.

- Thore

#45: Athos

Score: 44.69

Formerly Austria’s number one player and one of the premier Falcos of Europe, Athos—now living in Belgium—has been making steadily more appearances throughout Europe, demonstrating that even after a few years of absence, he’s still got it.

This is evidenced by his tournament runs this year, showcasing strong consistency wherever he goes. At Somnio 5 in the Netherlands, he took down Dutch-ranked players DestiKnee and Nuki, the Spanish IuDKing, and his newly-fellow countryman Feradit on the way to 9th place. A little farther east at Germany’s Himmel un Ääd, he placed 4th, defeating Germany-ranked players maxono and SenX and taking Rikzz to game 5 along the way. At Smash BXXL: 10 Year Anniversary in his new home country, he defeated Noxxa and double-eliminated Happymealz on the way to second place, only losing to Belgian native LunarySSF2.

Notably, at each of these events, he lost to the eventual tournament winner in the winners’ bracket and only lost to other European Top 50-ranked players, showcasing the caliber of players it takes to defeat Athos. If he keeps up his current trajectory, we might just see him return to his Top 15 Europe glory of years past.

- Noxxa

#44: Velani

Score: 44.54

Hailing from the countryside all the way up in the Arctic Circle, the premier Puff of Northern Norway has secured another appearance in the Top 50 of Europe.

Newly crowned as Norway’s #1 player in their latest rankings—with a show of sheer dominance, not losing a single set to a Norwegian player for the entire ranking period—Velani also continued to hop on several flights further south to various other European countries. One of the crowning jewels of this year’s efforts was a fine run to 13th place at Valhalla IV, where he defeated fellow Scandinavian Jigglypuff player Poppmaister6000, his compatriot TheLabMaster, American visitor Joey Donuts, and the Dutch duo of Happymealz and noon.

In addition to further excursions that saw him place deep into regional events in the Netherlands and Germany, Velani also proved his supremacy in his home country. This was especially evident early in the year, with first-place finishes at Norwegian national events including Smashborg: Siege and Garelaf: The Return: THE RETURN, taking names from many of Norway’s finest without dropping any sets. Even with the challenges of living so far away from most of the competition, Velani continues to thrive.

- Noxxa

#43: Madness

Score: 42.02

Last year, Madness left behind an impressive resume, culminating in that one game he took off aMSa at Fête 3, making a name for himself in the entire Melee scene. And so, 2024 was shaping up to be a big year for the ever-smiling plumber main. With the retirements of raoul and Mahie, the Luigi even was likely to take home the country's throne.

However, to the onlooker, Madness' 2024 may seem like a step back in his progression. He attended fewer events, had fewer wins, and did not wavedash his way into France's number one spot. Yet, digging further reveals a drastically different picture. The Frenchman traveled more than he ever did, going to Sweden, Switzerland, and Scotland, landing wins against the likes of Xin, Tellmis, Fecfec, and Joefish in the process. He also remained a big presence on French soil, where he beat Fout NL, ILikeTurtles, and Psylo. In fact, some of his local wins are even more impressive!

But most importantly, Madness has kept pushing forward with his offline endeavours, thriving both in and out of the Melee scene. Thus, we can only imagine that his 2025 will be even better.

- Triangulum

#42: NekoKaze

Score: 40.30

The platform-zooming Sheik from Paris, NekoKaze, had a light 2024 compared to his previously stacked year. With only a handful of tournaments entered, he made every one of them count. Out of the five he competed in, Nekokaze emerged as champion at two of them. These victories came at Breizh Touch 2, where he defeated Galan and Wolf twice, and SALT Melee, where he bested Psylo, Metony, and ILikeTurtles twice. The latter event featured a barnburner grand finals that culminated in a classic game-five, last-hit scenario, where NekoKaze delivered the final blow and earned himself a well-deserved pop-off.

NekoKaze demonstrated his ability to show up sporadically and overwhelm opponents with quick footwork, lightning-fast hitboxes, and slippery defense. However, slowing down on competing does come with its drawbacks, such as underperforming having a greater impact on one’s year. At one of the most stacked European tournaments of the year, Valhalla IV, NekoKaze unfortunately lost a couple of favorable sets that prevented him from reaching Top 16.

Looking to redeem himself, NekoKaze hibernated for six months and bounced back at FESTA 2024. This run included wins over Flippy, saftblandarN, and Gr4pe before he was eliminated by Sharp, preventing him from adding another Top 8 finish at a premier EU event.

- lovestory4a

#41: Parsecco

Score: 40.04

There is not a tournament on European soil that Parsecco attends where he doesn’t make an upset. Some call it an amazing coincidence; some call it unlucky, but for some reason, this Berlin-based Fox player seems to be impossible to seed accurately.

While Parsecco focused on his secondaries—especially Marth and Sheik—for the better part of his Melee-related efforts in 2024 (you might have met Dreckiger Dan on ranked), his Fox stayed as sharp as ever, taking wins over BlackH4ze, FoutNL, Geldmann, Schima, and SenX. His biggest win was an unfazed 2-0 over Nuckels at Melee im Kornspeicher. When asked about the upset, Parsecco shrugged his shoulders and said that playing against Marth doesn’t really seem to bother him, so this was just another day at the office.

He is a goofy fella, with the way he became so casual about the competition in 2024, when, in earlier years, the formerly Southern German powerhouse was a lot more dogged. Maybe it has to do with him focusing more on secondaries; maybe becoming more and more of a TO is a factor, too. But make no mistake: his gameplay is as sharp as ever, and the way he overwhelms his opponents is not only astonishing to watch but also a rare sight in 2024’s meta.

It is difficult to tell what the future holds for Parsecco. His secondaries terrorize the local scene, and with stiff competition from the likes of Geldmann, Schima, Nikstrat, or myself, Parsecco feels like his Marth is slowly but steadily going places. If you meet him in 2025, watch out for a whole new world of possibilities.

- yung Ullrich

Who else made the cut, and who has made it into the top 40? Placements 40-31 will be revealed tomorrow!

- The EURank Team