Part 1 will cover the 17 players who were voted in to the B and C tiers of the European MPGR Contenders Tier List. These are among the top threats our assembled panel of experts expects to compete for high rankings on the next MPGR. The Melee EU ranking will continue Thursday with the 13 players voted into the S+, S and A tiers.
Europe has shown year in and year out that the region is capable of consistently producing some of the world's best Fox players, a trend that further solidified itself in the past year. However, Marth players have been few and far between. In 2021 we’ve finally gotten to see the rise of not just one, but two Swedish Marth players: alongside Meady, Albin “abbearv” Arvidson has made himself known via his strong results, especially in the later half of the year. His consistently improving results lead him to a 13th place finish at HFLAN 2020+1, a result that can only be seen as a sign of future things to come.
Abbearv is quite unlike other Marths Europe has seen in the past, characterized by a willingness to dash at you to make you uncomfortable and an unusual proficiency in close quarters. This style makes both fast fallers and floaties feel the pressure, and once abbearv has you off balance, his strong edgeguard game will put you on the floor for good. Game wins over Pipsqueak and Nicki, alongside set victories over Kingu, Raoul and Sharp, are a clear indicator that abbearv is finally realizing some of that potential and is close to breaking through to the next level.
By Brent "Brentos" Vickers
Hailing from the UK, Fat Tino is a preeminent example of how quickly players can rise in the current meta. Currently ranked 5th on the UK power rankings, Fat Tino rose up the ranks quickly having attended their first major tournament in 2018. The stunning Falco paralyzes his opponents with anarchic pressure reminiscent of Mango or Westballz, even taking two devastating, pillar-laced games from Swedish Marth player Meady on Final Destination at SWT: Europe Melee Regional Finals. Fat Tino took a solid 9th place finish at the aforementioned tournament, only dropping sets to Trif and Nicki in pools and Professor Pro in the final bracket.
Fat Tino also clinched 5th place at Kamp Kone and a 9th place finish at MYTH. With a clear trajectory pointed upward, Fat Tino’s minimal time in the Melee scene is already elevated by a slew of wins under his belt. Fat Tino’s climb to the top is already underway - keep your eyes peeled on how quickly this adaptive Falco player is ascending.
Sander “Fout NL” Weber is the premier Peach player from The Netherlands, and one of the top Peaches in all of Europe. From his humble beginnings as a Ness main in 2015, to slowly working his way up on the Dutch Power Ranking, he is currently ranked 3rd in The Netherlands.
In the first half of 2021, Fout NL participated in 6 events in the SAME 2021 Circuit, where he would often place according to his seed without making any major upsets. Things would change after the summer of 2021, when Fout NL switched from a regular GameCube controller to a Frame1 controller. Shortly after this switch, he participated in the Dutch major tournament ‘Offline Smash’. Despite the tournament having some logistical issues and rocky progression, Fout NL kept his cool and placed 2nd out of 102 players, only placing behind Nicki in the finals.
The future looks bright for the Dutch Peach who thrives in a tournament setting, as his switch to a Frame1 controller has only made him more precise and technical in his already amazing execution.
Charles “Fuzzyness” Kimmelman was a strong competitor in the European Melee scene for over a decade, reaching as high as 14th on the 2016 European Melee Power Rankings. From Gothenburg to Las Vegas, the Falcon/Fox dual main from London has racked up an extensive list of splendid tournament placements such as fourth at Syndicate 2016, fifth at B.E.A.S.T 4, and 17th at Evo 2013. He also holds notable victories over players like Ice, Professor Pro, Amsah, Zgetto, and Nintendude.
Although he initially retired from in-person competition in 2019 to focus more on speedrunning, Fuzzyness remained fairly active during the offseason in 2020, placing in the top eight at several tournaments that had over 120 players such as Get On My Line 2021 and Poilon Arena #2.
Fuzzyness would, however, make a surprise return to in-person competition in 2021 when he entered Kamp Kone. Looking like the Fuzzyness of old, he ended up placing a remarkable fourth place after almost two years removed from his last offline appearance, showing that he still should never be taken lightly.
Whether or not Fuzzyness fully returns to offline competition isn’t entirely clear, but one thing is certain; the hungry, new generation of European Melee players would do well to take heed of Fuzzyness, lest they find themselves quickly swept out of bracket by the venerable Londoner.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
Only three players have managed to make their mark on every Swedish Power Ranking since 2015: Leffen, Android, and Christopher “Humpe” Falck. But as one of Europe’s most tenured players with top finishes as far back as 2007, Humpe’s been taking names since before power rankings were common enough to record his exploits.
Make no mistake: Humpe hasn’t slowed down one bit. Hot-blooded youngsters such as max or Kingu may be on the rise, but Humpe continues to perform. It’s no surprise - after all, he’s done this a few times before.
Still, Humpe’s longevity is admirable. In addition to his solid singles performances, he remains a staunch doubles fan with his teammate Q, carrying on a Swedish double spacies legacy that dates back to his partnership with Calle W. Humpe’s a stalwart in European Melee wherever you look - don’t expect him to disappear any time soon.
Jaap “Jeapie” Van der Zee has held the title of ‘flashiest Captain Falcon’ for over a decade now, while still reeling in amazing results in Europe. In 2021, he showed he was still a force to be reckoned with.
Jeapie had a very quiet 2020, rarely entering any events at all, but he returned in 2021 to participate in the SAME 2021 Circuit. Entering the first 5 events, Jeapie secured wins over Niklas, Skullbro, Calle W and consistently placing top 48, he proved that he was still an incredibly capable player, despite taking prolonged breaks.
After these first 5 events, Jeapie took a step back from competing in the SAME 2021 Circuit, placing 25th on the final ranking. He still enters the Dutch Weekly tournaments every now and then and remains active at a slow pace. One thing is for sure, though: when Jeapie does enter an event, his slow pace turns into an explosive Falcon that is always a treat to watch.
While most Europeans were aware that Niklas "Niklas2912" Løtveit might be the best Young Link on the continent, few were expecting him to tear through brackets the way he did in 2021. The Norwegian makes playing Young Link look easy - an incredible feat considering how hard that character has to work in some of Melee's most common matchups. Once he has a bomb in hand, even top players get overwhelmed by Niklas2912's tricky movement and smart usage of his bomb throw angles.
While Young Link is traditionally seen as a character who prefers fighting floaties, Niklas2912's wins over Frenzy's Falco and Rikzz's Fox turn that stereotype on its head. But don’t think he’s completely flaunting tradition - the slower characters weren't safe either, with Niklas2912 claiming victories over both Kingu's Jigglypuff and Meady's Marth. Niklas2912's presence at smaller and bigger tournaments had people asking for help in the Young Link matchup more than ever before - and even lead to some frustrated tweets from thosewho fell victim to Niklas2912 in bracket.
Though Niklas2912 stopped entering tournaments around the halfway mark of the year, his incredible results in the first half of 2021 more than justify his position in the C-tier. He even had the Young Link discord debating whether Niklas might just be the best Young Link player in the world. Maybe 2022 will be Niklas2912's year to show the rest of the world that Europe isn't just all Foxes.
By Jack "Kezzup" McDonald
Ice Climbers may have declined in popularity over the last few years, but you can still find skilled, dedicated Ice Climbers mains in plenty of places if you know where to look - and one of those places is the properly chilled country of Norway, where Erling Bell “NintendOrk” Lysaker resides.
NintendOrk has used his fast movement and terrifying pressure to keep pace with the other European greats throughout the years. At Valhalla III, NintendOrk achieved 13th place, garnering wins over Poppmaister6000 and Rev. In the time since, he has gained set wins over Levingy, Humpe, and Kingu, while continuing to compete and place highly within the local Norwegian scene.
There’s plenty of burgeoning Norwegian talent threatening to break into the highest echelon of European Melee, and NintendOrk is currently leading that charge.
If you’re not from Europe, odds are that you might not know who Renzo is, but there’s a decent chance you’ve seen his clips. Renzo, a Dutch Marth Main, is an absolute lab monster who has a meticulous grindset. If there is something that stumps him, he will grind it over and over to figure it out. He is currently ranked 2nd on the Dutch Power Ranking.
In 2020, Renzo had already been on the rise, with a win over Frenzy and consistent performances in Dutch tournaments. In 2021, he solidified his place as one of the top competitors in The Netherlands. While he only entered two SAME 2021 Circuit events, he would make good use of them, beating Nebbii (Mewtwo at the time) and Professor Pro.
Renzo would end up placing a solid 5th at the Dutch Major ‘Offline Smash’, losing only to Nicki and Savestate. His most impressive win would come at a small but stacked tournament ‘ThommyTourney #1’, where he took the whole tournament over all of the best Dutch players in attendance. Renzo would beat Nebbii, Fout NL, Aaron and 6-0 $tijn to win the tournament from losers’ side, finally cementing himself as a major tournament threat.
The majority of players on this list have been playing Melee for half a decade or longer - Patrick "Kingu" King is the exception. Hailing from the UK, Kingu is a modern example of a talented young player who rises the ranks extremely quickly and beats top players seemingly out of nowhere. The Jigglypuff main with a secondary Fox started playing the game in September of 2019 - less than three years ago - and has been one of the hardest workers in the European Melee scene ever since, constantly asking for friendlies and entering tournaments whenever possible.
In October of 2021, Kingu silenced the last remaining doubters by placing 4th at MYTH and trading sets with Rikzz. Just two months later, Kingu nearly won NANG: Nothing Great About Nintendo, beating Professor Pro in Winner's Finals before falling just short in Grand Finals. He also managed to pick up a win against Frenzy in the same month. Kingu’s remarkable rise from relative unknown to someone capable of beating the UK's two best players shows that his efforts are more than paying off, and it seems like there is still an incredible amount of potential left within him. If you were to list the top 3 under-the-radar European players to look out for in 2022, there's no doubt that Kingu should be among them.
By Jack "Jackie Peanuts" Moore
One of France's best Melee players for nearly a decade and the country's top ranked player dating back to 2018, Mahieddine "Mahie" Tsouria is a European Melee institution thanks to his play, his commentary, his coaching and his personality. Although known for his formidable Marth, his secondary Fox is still a legitimate threat, and his breadth of knowledge guarantees even fun experiments such as his rainy-day Falco can showcase high level play.
2021 saw Mahie pick up some huge wins on some of Europe's finest, including Trif, Pipsqueak and Nicki. The return to offline immediately saw Mahie re-establish his dominance of the French scene as well, as he won Le Camp Du Cone, the first French offline Melee event in an 18-month span, without dropping a set. He would add strong performances at Le Four Stock Parisien #1 (2nd) and HFLAN Melee 2020+1 (9th) before the year's end.
Looking ahead to 2022, retaining that top French ranking will be as challenging as it's been in a while thanks to the rise of Raoul, the French number two who finally found Mahie's number in 2021. But that just means Mahie will have to work his hardest to maintain the level he has set for the past five years, and knowing him, he'll be up to the challenge.
By Maxi "lil froozy" Rose
A year ago, seeing Max “Max” Melton in the attendee list of a tournament, felt like opening a mystery box. Possible outcomes ranged from Max sweeping through the entire bracket to him missing his alarm and sleeping through the tournament.
Nowadays, the mystery box is a bit more predictable, but no less exciting. Every time Max enters an event, he comes out with wins over people he hasn’t beaten before, putting together a constant streak of miracle runs and upsets.
Other British players were able to follow his meteoric rise, but from an outside perspective Max just materialized into being a European top player. Max’s 2019 start date makes him by far the newest player on the list next to Kingu, but his resume is already nothing short of incredible.
Max’s tricky and fast movement sets him apart from other more methodical Sheiks. He has his ways of being creative about his approach to the game, while staying efficient and not re-inventing the wheel. It’s a pleasure to see a new flavor of Sheik at the top of European Melee, and there’s no telling what’s next for the young Sheik main.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
In the 16 lifetime offline matches between France’s reigning number one and number two, Victor “raoul” Coulaud has only taken four sets off of the presumptive king, Mahie. The catch? All four of them came in their last five meetings - and in 2021, raoul went up a clean three-zero for the year. After years playing second fiddle to Mahie’s man with a tiara, raoul may have finally found the form to snatch France’s crown.
Raoul has garnered a deserved reputation as a wild Fox, but recent victories have seen him temper that fire with a dash of patient play as well. He put an exclamation point on a career-best season by handing Frenzy his only group stage loss at the SWT EU Regional Finals, pairing it with another slobberknocker victory over Mahie in bracket for emphasis. As events gear back up, expect raoul to serve up stiff competition for honors as his nation’s best - but keep an eye out for him in settings far afield as well.
Although he tragically hopped the pond only to be met with a Genesis cancellation, raoul’s been open about his international aspirations - and with Europe eager for him to prove his mettle, it won’t be long until he has a chance to make good on those ambitions.
By Maxi "lil froozy" Rose
People used to say that if you played Georg “Rikzz” Triller at his most comfortable, running friendlies in his room, he was literally unbeatable. Back then, Rikzz was able to compete around Germany’s stacked Top 10 level - but these days, he’s risen to new heights.
The Fox main owes his caliber to a newfound ability to transfer most of that comfort into his tournament sets and handles his jitters with confidence. Nerves calmed, Rikzz finally put his true skill on display and became a major threat at international tourneys. Last year, Rikzz focused on broadening his horizon and adding to his arsenal playstyle-wise. As a master of defense and punish game, he made an effort to delve into a more aggressive playstyle, which helped him become a more complete player.
But Rikzz doesn’t only apply his improvements to his own play - he is one of the most successful coaches in the European Melee scene and passionately pushes his local community by hosting weeklies in Wiesbaden. His deep knowledge and understanding of all characters of the game is a large asset and it’s great to see Rikzz share it with anyone who’s interested.
By Maxi "lil froozy" Rose
Ember “Sharp” Larsson’s recent results have shifted who comes to mind when you talk about the best Peach in Sweden. Sharp brought their potential to sunlight at HFLan Melee Edition, establishing themself as the only player at the tournament to bring Pipsqueak to a game 5 and finishing in a prestigious Major Top 8.
In contrast to other European rising stars who tend to play more by the book, Sharp adopts a free form approach to their playstyle. Their ferocious Peach leaves no air to breathe and purely overwhelms its opponents with a liveliness that’s hard to compare with any other Peach.
Sharp has found a way of playing and competing that is focused around enjoyment and having fun with the game, which makes for an absolute blast for everyone watching. The one thing left on their checklist is an opportunity to play overseas - and those in the know can’t wait for Sharp to tick that box
After Amsah’s absence from tournaments during 2020-2021, the 1st place on the Dutch Power Ranking was up for grabs, and the fight was fierce. However, in the end, an Italian plumber with an M.D. would reign supreme, and Jasper “Skullbro” Claessen managed to secure his place as #1 on the Dutch Power Ranking.
This came after an absolutely stellar performance in 2021. Personally, he attributes this to Rikzz teaching him how to shield-drop in December 2020. Skullbro consistenly placed top 16 in almost every SAME 2021 Circuit event he entered, which was all of them. Here, Skullbro got wins over Mahie, Meady, Max, Levingy and Trif (well, his Marth, at least). He qualified for the SAME finale, ending 12th in the overall rankings. Besides this, Skullbro was also invited to the SWT 2021 Europe Regional Finals, where he secured wins over Raoul and Rikzz. Skullbro closed out the year with a solid 9th place at HFLAN 2020+1, with wins over Abbearv and Renzo.
Skullbro is also an absolute crowd-favorite across Europe, with his flashy playstyle and his tendency to post clips of the craziest combos, often featuring one or multiple Up-B cancels. 2022 has never looked more exciting for Doctor Mario fans.
For a while, Jah Ridin’ was the only high-level Mario brother that European players had to look out for, but Skullbro firmly cemented his place as a top competitor in 2021.
By Maxi "lil froozy" Rose
It’s hard to imagine Melee in Europe without Timothej “Timi” Patocka, who has been a constant with top level results every single year reaching back to 2012. The Falco main has a complex playstyle based on outsmarting his opponents and finding just the right rhythm every time. Even more fascinating than his distinctive singles game plan is his unorthodox doubles play. Timi has re-imagined the bird into an evasive support role, making himself exceptionally hard to hit without heavy commitments.
Now that the Viennese is a PhD candidate in biochemistry and has just moved to Belgium, it’s impressive how he still shows up at events without any of his fire missing. Timi was able to score wins over Levingy, Mint and Sharp over the last year, just to name a few, which puts him into B-Tier alongside his strong contenders. Expect Timi to stay a force to reckon with - we just might have to call him Dr. Timi the next time we see him at an event.
