The premier Super Smash Bros. fan mod, Project M, celebrated its 14th anniversary a few months ago. In that time, it has seen many changes, overcame unthinkable obstacles, and boasted a thriving competitive scene going strong to this very day. Due to its complicated history, the many eras of Project M are concretely split and the many talented players throughout the game's lifespan are not often recognized or celebrated as much as they deserve. In an attempt to bring visibility back to the underground smash game’s history, the Plus Side team is proud to present the Top 100 Project M/+ Players of All Time! For more information on the methodology behind this list, please check out our introduction article.
One of the two faces of modern Wario alongside Jonny Sosa, Twisty has been a consistent bracket threat ever since 2017, where he made his splash on the national stage by earning a monumental win over the then-#1 player in the world ThundeRzReiGN. From that point onwards, Twisty placed top 8 at a slew of majors, including four showings at his home tournament series Blacklisted. He’d also place #1 in Massachusetts multiple times and remained in the top five of the state’s rankings for all of his active seasons.
While Twisty may not be as active nowadays, and no longer plans to compete frequently out of region, his tenured legacy in the history of the game makes him one of Massachusetts’ most influential players.
Written by: Motobug
Of the many personalities to emerge from the NY/NJ scene, Envy is perhaps the most iconic. On top of being a balance team member for P+ and a tried-and-true commentator, Envy was also a high level competitor throughout multiple eras of the game.
Bouncing between Diddy Kong, Wario, and his primary character of Ike, Envy was already making appearances in top 8s as early as Shots Fired, and earned wins over the likes of SipMastah, Flipp, Zhime, Dirtboy, HyperFlame, dvd, and BaconPancakes throughout the 3.6 era. He’d even make occasional competitive appearances in the Project+ era when not commentating for a ninth place finish at Blacklisted 6 and fifth place finish (with a win on then-#1 contender techboy!) at Blacklisted 7. With an incredibly high peak of #11 on PMRank in 2018 and strong longevity, Envy goes down as one of the strongest Ike players in the history of the game.
Written by: Motobug
These days, only three things are certain - death, taxes, and metroid making a mockery of your favorite Captain Falcon player with Ike. A long-standing bastion of the Illinois Project+ community, metroid has upheld the tradition of being around since the demo era of Project M, entering the scene with a bang following his first place finish at The Big House 2. Following that, he’d continue to put up strong performances throughout the years, winning sets over Ripple, Dirtboy, Sneez, and most notably SipMastah at [REDACTED] City in 2020 right before quarantine.
There’s something special about sticking with a character throughout that many years. There’s no telling how much re-learning has had to be done on metroid’s end, and despite that, he has continued to be at the forefront of competition - and somehow, he’s only continued to grow.
Written by: ilikepizza107
In a mirror of his explosive splash on the Melee scene at Genesis, the legendary Armada took the Project M world by storm at Apex 2014. Riding the top of the wave of PM 3.0, the Swedish sniping Pit would have an incredible 2014 season, winning multiple majors and consistently placing high at tournaments among the best players from both Melee and Brawl.
After the 3.5 patch caused heavy nerfs to his main, Armada dwindled in attendance in 2015, mainly playing Fox, and retired from the game completely soon after. Despite his career being quite brief compared to others, his incredibly consistent high peaks throughout one of the most active eras of the game earned the BOAT his place on our list.
Written by: Tuck
Oracle is more than just a strong player from the early 2010’s - he was also an incredibly important community organizer, largely responsible for the legendary Low Tier City series. Helping foster the DFW scene into one of the strongest and most active regions of PM to this day, Oracle’s contributions cannot be overstated. It helps that, on top of all of that, he was an immaculate player as well.
He was at the top of all Project M ROB players since 2014, placing top 8 at Apex 2014 among other accomplishments. His greatest accomplishment was at the brutally stacked Paragon LA, triumphing over both Mew2King and Junebug, only falling in a thrilling Grands against the rising star Forrest. Still showing up to DFW locals supporting his scene, Oracle is a great model of a player lifting the community up alongside them.
Written by: Tuck
While most today associate lloD for revolutionizing Peach in Melee with his perfect powershields and destructive kill setups, he was having the same level of success in Project M throughout the 3.6 era. For three straight years, lloD racked up consistent top 8 placements and top 10 wins, earning an insane resume of victories including Junebug, Malachi, Lunchables, techboy, and dvd, only to name a few.
There may still be fans of Melee that are surprised seeing lloD perform so well, especially while balancing being a doctor - but for the PM scene, it should come as no surprise: lloD is simply that good.
Written by: Tuck
What are the odds that the winner of the first ever big Project M tournament all the way back in 2011 would go on to become a formidable top player for years beyond? That unlikely player is none other than Jaden. A top player throughout the “dark ages” of Melee in the early 2010’s, Jaden did the opposite of what most other Melee players did with PM - after a few years of solid competition, Jaden actually made PM more of his main focus, and spent less time with SSBM. Becoming the king of NY/NJ Project M in 2015, he most notably top 8’d the 2016 circuit finale Olympus, one of the most stacked PM tournaments of all time.
This would normally be the part where I’d say that Jaden has since left the PM scene, but that is simply not the case. He entered Blacklisted 8 just a year and a half ago, giving him one of the longest careers of any PM player.
Written by: Tuck
Like Dirtboy with Squirtle and Kycse with Charizard, Flarp is a symbol of his character in the modern P+ era. As one of the most tenured names on PMRank, Flarp has been
Whether it’s making top 8 multiple times at his home tournament series, Blacklisted, earning a spot in the Project M Theatre and winning multiple sets, or winning Infrared 2024 over Switch, Flarp is a consistent bracket threat wherever he appears. His dedication to his craft earned him a top five placing on PMRank 2024 and his first in-region #1 in one of the hardest regions in the world. With his ingame talents combined with creating content for the greater PM scene, Flarp is no doubt one of the shining stars of modern Project M.
Written by: Motobug
Before The Doctor was down throw fairing his way to the top of the rankings, there was another Mario player from New York City making a bid for best of the best. Gallo started attending majors in 2014, at the tail end of 3.02’s dominance, but really began his journey as a top player in the 3.5/3.6 era. He achieved top 10 status on PMRank 2016, taking the 6th place spot. Gallo was the 3rd place master, placing 3rd at Olympus, Blacklisted 2, and We Tech Those 2 employing the trusty Mario and very occasionally a counterpick Pit. His list of wins includes Junebug, Jonny Sosa, Hyperflame and most of NY/NJ at some point or another.
His Mario paved the way for those that came after, and his methodical and cerebral play could still be studied today by anyone looking to tighten up their neutral game. If you are a Mario player in P+, you are doing yourself a disservice if you haven’t watched old Gallo VODs.
Written by: Serb
A long time victim of the dearth of events in the American southeast, Nogh was finally able to travel to enough events to be ranked in 2018 and maintained PMRank status through 2022 before stepping away from the game at the end of that year. He really hit his stride coming out of quarantine when he revealed an expanded character roster, glimpses of which had been seen in 2019, but had not been fully realized. Combining the strengths of DK, ROB, and Ivysaur, Nogh was able to cement top 5 status on PMRank 2022 following massive 2nd place runs at Undertow 2022 and Shipwrecked.
Nogh was never able to travel as much as he probably would have liked to, and historians may wonder how high his ceiling could have been with more opportunities. He always played with an unshakeable confidence in his own talent, and before bowing out of the limelight, he gave us a glimpse of what made him so confident for all those years.
Written by: Serb
In the middle of 2013, right as Project M was beginning to catch the eyes of many competitive smash players, a young Wizzrobe would sit down against two of Melee’s Gods at Zenith 2013…and destroy them. Wizzy’s sets against Mew2King and Hungrybox inspired a generation of Sonic players, and was the first example of PM Sonic being an absolute powerhouse.
Wizzrobe continued performing strongly throughout 2013 and 2014, frequently being the runner-up at majors to a dominant ZeRo. Wizzrobe’s biggest win came at Tipped Off 10, taking down Fatality, Mew2King, and Master Raven twice to be the event’s champion - Sonic’s only 1st place at a large event to date. While a harder focus on Melee and Smash 64 may have taken Wizzrobe’s attention away from PM after the 3.0 era, his dizzying Sonic is still a fan-favorite over a decade later.
Written by: Motobug
A ferocious competitor in his own right, Jose V could potentially be categorized as the measuring stick (or bat) for top level PM players. Launching himself into the inaugural Top 10 Worldwide with the velocity of a Marvel VS Capcom snapback, his dizzying and frankly terrifying crossups and punish game made him something of a bogeyman for other players to study and prepare for.
Though he did not secure 1st place at a major, he earned a considerable collection of skulls, including being one of the few players to slay all three titans in ThundeRzReiGN, Jonny Sosa and Malachi...frankly, no one is safe facing Jose V. You either come ready to bear the pressure, or he will crush you.
Written by: Frequency
It’s no secret that Hungrybox dabbled in PM quite a bit more than other top-level melee players, even earning a spot on the initial iteration of PMRank in 2016. What most people don’t know is that HBox was also likely the best player in the world all the way back in 2012.
Winning the first ever event we can confidently consider a major, Melee-FC 10R Legacy, as well as Zenith 2012, gave him our crown as Project M’s first ever #1. Coupled with consistent high level placements for 4 years after that, HGod has developed one of the strongest Project M resumes of any Melee pro.
Written by: Tuck
Shiny Zubat is truly an unorthodox innovator. The current #2 player in the world, after entering major tournaments since 2014, has taken Yoshi to heights unmatched by nearly any player or character - even winning his first large event in Tussleopolis over SipMastah. While most dismissed the dinosaur as needing tight double jump cancelled combos and difficult tech skill compared to the rest of the cast, Zubat took out foe after foe this past year with early percent smash attack combos, rising double jump extensions, and next level survivability.
He led the pack in modern P+ Yoshi being seen as such a strong character today, and who we point to when people ask why Yoshi just rose 20 places in the tier list. No buff is as powerful as a player’s true dedication and innovation.
Written by: Tuck
Peter “Peter the Cheater” Pikmon is one of the most consistent players at the top level, breaking into the top 20 of PMRank in 2018 and not dipping below since. Even at his first national appearance at Low Tier City 4 in 2016, Pikmon was already proficient enough to earn wins on Dirtboy and Violet. Despite being the face of late-era 3.6 Mr. Game & Watch, Pikmon swapped to primarily playing Ike in Project+ in one of the most successful main swaps in the game’s history.
Alongside his national presence and holding an iron grip over Washington PM, Pikmon is a frequent contributor to community projects as well, heavily assisting with PMRank each year, being a part of the former PM Back Room, and helping with development on Project+. Even if he’s splitting his time with Rivals 2 now, Pikmon’s a mainstay of the Project M community, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Written by: Motobug
Few players have had as successful of a splash as Sothe has at the start of his decade-long PM career. Winning Kings of the North 4 over Professor Pro, who was fresh off a win at Tipped Off, thrust the Iowa Ivy to the spotlight. While he mainly stayed in the Midwest, he was able to rack up dozens of solid performances over the years, particularly at the Smash ‘N’ Splash series. Sothe is also a big doubles enjoyer, almost exclusively teaming with fellow Iowan Spicy to this day.
He kept up the impressive results post-COVID as well, finally able to compete in his home state at the Honeypot series. He unfortunately has barely not met activity requirements for PMRank since 2019, however - only entering one to two large events each year. But each time he does come out, every Ivysaur main out there is sure to watch the master at work once again.
Written by: Tuck
Stango is a man of many talents - whether it be his roots as a top 100 Melee player, winner of NASB2 at Genesis, or recent successes in Rivals 2, he’s been around the block. However, his greatest overall success came in the Project M community.
Taking interest in the game in 2019 and integrating with the NY/NJ scene during the pandemic, Stango’s honed Fox and Zero Suit Samus came out the gate swinging at Blacklisted 6, defeating Envy, AssTAStic, and Rongunshu for his first of many top 8 major placements. The introduction of Donkey Kong took his career to its peak, narrowly missing out on event victories at Honeypot 4, Blacklisted 7, and Exodus 2023 to a dominant top two of The Doctor and techboy. A top 5 finish on PMRank 2022 and top 10 on PMRank 2023 made for a short, but very fruitful career, and we wish
Written by: Serb
Sethlon is without a doubt a legend of Project M. Be it the GRSmash or Mr. Pickle compilation videos, hundreds of thousands of eyes have seen the “Burn!” tag in action. But a surprising amount of people don’t know the real history of Sethlon’s competitive career in PM. Spoiler alert - he was really good.
Beginning in the demo era before Roy was even released, Sethlon was at the top of the Texas and Illinois rivalry in 2013. Winning the hilariously named tournament “Sakurai Can’t Save You Now 5” over the likes of Kirk and Strong Badam with his Sonic, he would be one of the strongest players of that year. This continued on to 2014 and 2015, remaining a top 10 player for both years, but now with his trusty Roy. Near the end of his foray with major PM tournaments, he would dominate at Aftershock, taking out DrinkingFood, IPK, and Junebug back to back to win the 2015 event. Have no doubts, Sethlon lives up to the hype and more.
Written by: Tuck
Samus is a character that has not historically gotten a lot of love from fans. She is often overlooked, cast aside at the bottom of tier lists, and while some players like Darc and Ripple have made the occasional splashy moments with the character, no one has remained as steadfastly dedicated to the armored bounty hunter as Morsecode762. Morsecode762 earned his first spot on PMRank in 2017 at #35 and steadily moved up the ladder, earning top 30 (#21) in 2018 before catapulting into the top 10 (#6) in 2019 and 2024. Morsecode762’s in region dominance, especially after Lunchables retired from singles, paved the way for Morsecode762 to rack up wins on perennial top 5 candidate Techboy as well as other heavy hitters like Anther and Dirtboy.
Morsecode marches to the beat of his own drum, and plays the game at an unflinchingly deliberate pace that rarely gets sped up by his opponents, which allows him to win games through what sometimes feels like a “death by 1000 cuts” torture chamber for his opponents. While Melee appears to be his main focus, and his appearance on PMRank seems to correlate with the number of brackets also featuring Melee, it is impossible to ignore Morsecode762’s natural affinity and talent for Project M.
Written by: Serb
If you were a spectator of Project M tournaments in the Balc era, you’ll remember that Violet (formerly Fuzz) had one of the most unexpected breakout runs of any player in 3.6. Here, she stunned the scene with a remarkable third place finish with wins over Kycse, The Doctor, Jonny Sosa, and Switch as the 42nd seed of the event.
This landmark run sparked a career that would last throughout the rest of the 3.6 era, with Violet making two top 10 appearances on PMRank in 2017 and 2018, winning Salty Juan’s 4 over ThundeRz and Sosa, and later adding Malachi to her list of wins to complete her trifecta of wins over the big three. Violet stopped competing for the most part after 2019, but her results in her active years are the pinnacle of modern Mewtwo, and some of the best of any player in the world to this day.
Written by: Motobug
Other Top 100 Articles:
4/18/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: Intro and HMs
4/21/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #100-81
4/22/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #80-61
4/23/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #60-41
4/24/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #40-21
4/25/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #20-1
4/21/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #100-81
4/22/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #80-61
4/23/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #60-41
4/24/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #40-21
4/25/2025 - Project M/+ All Time Top 100: #20-1
Credits:
Project Lead: Tuck
Graphic Design: Motobug
Renders: RedipsTheCooler, tyleto, VirtualBeef, CSProject, and the Project+ Development Team
Writers: Frequency, ilikepizza107, Motobug, Serb, shad, Tuck
Special Thanks: Sabre
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