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.
Have you ever seen a character that is so strongly associated with one player in a competitive game? That is absolutely the case when it comes to Zhime and Project M Zelda. From pioneering the character way back in 2012, up to his legendary run at Supernova, Zhime is the pinnacle of PM Zelda. He was the only Zelda player to be featured on PM Rank back in 2016, until the Illinois player evil lesbian joined the top 50 for the first time in 2023.
While you won’t be finding Zhime at PM tournaments these days, he is still active, teaching the next generation of Zelda mains in the Project+ Discord.
Written by: Tuck
There are a few players in the modern era of Project Plus who are commonly discussed as “next up”: the ones whose paths are the most likely to launch into major winning #1 contention. Jagz$ is certainly near the top of that list.
His Cinderella run at Undertow 2023 placed him on the radar for most for being something special, but when he repeated a second place performance a year later at Warehouse War 4, it solidified him as one of the current stars of the game. All eyes are on the Florida Marth to see when, not if, he secures a 1st place title.
Written by: Tuck
Few people can claim to have as long and memorable of a career as ILPM’s “Uncle O”, Chris ORLY. I often joke that he’s been Falcon Kicking out of the corner since before I was born, at least in Melee, and the longevity of his PM career is nothing short of incredible. He was there for PM’s first major, Melee FC-10R Legacy, where he, ironically, lost to fellow Illinoisan Ripple, although he’s made sure to rectify that loss in their recent head to head bouts, which often end in a headshake from the bald one. ORLY is something of a wise sage, happy to impart knowledge of eras gone by to anyone that will listen while he smokes an American Spirit outside of the Tripoint venue, or he might just complain about the plight of the fastfaller against Ike, it’s really anyone’s guess. Father Time has been kind to ORLY, who continues to defy the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” by continuing to refine his flashy, smothering playstyle with little advancements as the years went on. ORLY’s long career has been accompanied by a ledger full of prominent players, including Aion, Connor, Mr. WnL, Lunchables, Comb, Ellipsis, Sothe, Jagz$, and more. Chris ORLY is Project M. It would be a disservice to this list to not mention the man who has been there for it all and is still going strong. And while he might have set out to “finish what Darkrain started”, there are many who look to him as their inspiration, eager to finish what HE started.
Written by: shad
While the fan favorite Pikachu’s journey in Melee is iconic and well documented, few may know Axe also had quite the lengthy, high level career in Project M - including a top 8 performance at PM’s first ever major, Melee FC-10R Legacy.
By entering events from 2012 up until the end of 2015, the premier Pikachu earned victories over multiple eras of top level competitors, such as Jaden, Hungrybox, Junebug, and Sethlon. While he stopped playing around the end of PM’s development cycle to solely focus on Melee, his impact on the game won’t be lost.
Written by: Tuck
ESAM is a player that’s been around for some of Smash’s most iconic moments in many games, like taking out Armada in crews in Melee and his high level careers in Brawl, Smash 4 and Ultimate. Similarly, he has been there for iconic moments in Project M’s history as well.
While people might know ESAM was a strong player back in the day, his 2014 and 2015 seasons were insanely impressive. At SKTAR 3 in 2014, ESAM beat both ZeRo and Armada in the same tournament, placing 4th at the stacked major. He also defeated iPunchKidsz in 2015 at Tipped Off 11 in an intense game 5 set. Being skilled at both Brawl and Melee at the time, it’s almost no surprise that ESAM had the career he did in PM.
Written by: Tuck
A true beast of a player, Ivayne climbed into the top 20 Worldwide in 2018 and throughout his career has been a bracket menace placing in numerous Top 8s at majors and even outright winning at You're So Mad. One could argue that Ivayne's aura and execution is emblematic of the work ethic of his region, truly an asset as a competitor. Whether it's his convincing victory against fellow NorCal fixture ThundeRzReiGN or ending would-be contenders' runs with his oppressive flurry of spacie offense, Ivayne doesn't just turn heads with his gameplay - he breaks necks.
Written by: Frequency
Has there ever been a player as quietly consistent as Fearless? From his national breakout in 2017 to his sparing post-quarantine activity, the Texan was regularly placing in major top 8s across the country for over half a decade. Despite being one of his first extended runs, his Blacklisted 3 performance may go down as his greatest. Here, he defeated Brimley, guttey, Shiny Zubat, Aida, King Koney, Kycse, and Darc for a fourth place finish.
He accumulated plenty of strong wins over his years in Project+ as well, including Pikmon, Sneez, Jagz$, Cloudburst, and Boat in another amazing run to fourth at Jailbreak. When Rongunshu stopped pulling out his Lucario in most cases, Fearless was there to fill the void and show just what the aura dog could do.
Written by: Motobug
After his debut at number 50 on PMRank 2019 following an electrifying year with runs to 33rd at Blacklisted 5 and 17th at Smash N Splash 5, Comb would come out of quarantine stronger than ever. He would go on a tear throughout tournaments in the Project+ era of the game, with wins on mainstays Jagz$, Motobug, Dirtboy, Imogen Heat, Suvir, Ripple, ORLY, and more, peaking at 12th on PMRank 2023 and only dropping one spot in the subsequent year.
Mr. P+ has truly covered it all, whether that be winning combo contests, Fingy’s Riddle Corner, as well as other community events, and as time goes by he only seems to be getting better. While his initial boost to the upper echelon of Project+ may be slowing, Comb seems to have plenty left in the tank to continue playing at that level for years to come.
Written by: ilikepizza107
To those that are familiar with Plup’s dominance in Melee and now Rivals 2, it should come as no surprise that the Florida fan favorite also had a very successful foray into Project M. Mainly in 2014 and 2015, Plup would have an incredibly consistent string of performances.
His run at Smash ‘n’ Splash is most notable, double eliminating Junebug in 2015 on his run to Grand Finals. Solidly a top 10 player that year, not even PM was safe from becoming property of the Plup Club.
Written by: Tuck
Few players can boast the longevity that Ripple has had with the game. Something in the Illinois waters tends to do that to people, it seems. When most were still first hearing about what Project M even was, Ripple was placing in the top 16/top 8 range all the way back in 2012. Since then, he’s continued to put up strong results throughout every era of the game, with consistently strong showings at every major event he’s attended.
While most players may only know him for his role as a Project+ developer that loves buffing heavies, Ripple is also known for being a bracket run ruiner, upsetting the likes of Hungrybox, reslived, and Chaloopy in the past - pray his arsenal of characters doesn't find you there.
Written by: ilikepizza107
Nobody busts a move like Blank. The flashy fighter from the far West has always been someone who can execute even the world's best with a moment's notice, as Sosa, The Doctor, and Techboy know all too well. Taking a bronze medal at Project M's biggest tournament of all-time, Blank earned his moniker as one of the "Riverside Savages" alongside his brother Jonny Sosa as well as Jose V throughout his dominant time in SoCal. If one were to learn a vicious and cunning breed of Zero Suit Samus, Blank would be the one to study.
Written by: Frequency
The second half of one of the most-watched money matches of all time, Rolex punched in hard and fast as one of the best Snakes to ever do it following the legendary mercenary’s release into the game. The New York native would quickly find success, taking sets over Leffen, Plup, Pink Fresh, and Junebug, among many others. His year in 2014 is incredibly impressive, demonstrating an unseen consistency in the character that only his peer and rival, Professor Pro, was able to match.
A fun fact about Rolex is that while his tag may be Rolex, his “Rolex” he’d wear to events is actually a Tag - sorry to anyone who may have been fooled throughout the years!
Written by: ilikepizza107
Blue’s story in Project M is nearly the opposite of a lot of other players that were around during the 3.6 era. Quietly earning a spot on PMRank 2016, Blue would enter large tournaments very sparsely the next few years, mainly the Balc series. It wasn’t until after the COVID era, where there was a massive shift in the eras of the game, that Blue burst into the highest tier of competitors. Earning victories in the modern era over SipMastah, techboy, and dvd just to name a few, Blue brought Link to heights never seen before, all with his calm neutral and disgustingly early kill confirms.
Written by: Tuck
iPunchKidsz has made moves in the Project M scene with the swiftness of a true speedrunner. The Lucario main who was part of SoCal's Top 2 in the Power Rankings for a time made enough runs at nationals finishing on the tri-level podium that anyone up against him would be justifiably concerned. If Jonny Sosa, Junebug, Lunchables, and Mew2King were all susceptible to iPK's scrappy rushdown style, it stands to reason anyone hoping to triumph against him had to dig down deep to be able to keep up.
Written by: Frequency
A player only continuing to rise, Ellipsis is one of the many Michigan players to break out on the national stage. Ellipsis started his breakout nationally in 2018, a bit later than most of his region, but only continued to rise after his breakout 3rd place performance at Frozen Phoenix 2018.
The Project+ era is where Ellipsis really started to shine, defeating the Ness duo of AssTAStic and Kumatora at Undertow 2021, winning Joey’s Birthday Bash over Chaloopy and Yono, and making Top 8 at Undertow 2022. 2024 saw his Game & Watch rise to the peak of the meta, getting ninth place at The Bigger Mile Club and, most notably, winning his first major in Undertow 2024 in a run through SoulOfficer, Krumpberry, Morsecode762, Michael, ORLY, and Shiny Zubat. With a major, a top 10 PMRank placement, and medical school under his belt, the future is bright for Ellipsis. But for now, he’s already more than cemented his place in the history books.
Written by: Motobug
They say you can never truly quit smash - you only take long breaks. That turned out to be the case for Anther, the premier Pikachu and ladder legend. After a career in PM reaching back to 2013 and ending off in 2017 with a thrilling victory over Malachi at The Bigger Balc, he decided that he would plug in again in 2024, having better performances than ever.
Single handedly showcasing what top level Pikachu can look like in modern day P+, if you see Anther show up in major brackets, you know that you’re in for a treat.
Written by: Tuck
In 3.02, Mewtwo reigned supreme, filling up top 8’s across the nation. Following a substantial batch of nerfs, players abandoned the character in droves, but Frozen remained steadfastly devoted to keeping Mewtwo relevant. In addition to being an early backroom member of the Project M development team, Frozen was ranked top 20 for 3 years from 2014-2016 including competition across the tail end of 3.02 and competing briefly into 3.6 before stepping away from the game to pursue the mainline smash games when Smash 4 was released. She won PM in the Big House 2, placed top 3 at We Tech Those and Blacklisted 1, and placed within the top 8 of dozens of events up and down the east coast.
These days Frozen can be found atop the HewDraw Remix rankings as their current #1 player, winning tournaments with whichever of its many characters strikes her fancy.
Written by: Serb
Sneez is a player who embodies fighting spirit and persistence. The Fizzy Brax CEO pounded on the door of Top 50 Worldwide glory in 2018, knocked it down the next year in 2019 Robo-Boosting and AGTing into the Top 25, all the way to the most recent "Murderers' Row" of Top 5 Worldwide.
We would be remiss not to acknowledge the ferocious performances in Doubles over the years, as multiple fellow top players have deferred to his seasoned experience in attaining Doubles victories that Against All Odds seem Invincible to upset when there is team "Snynergy" between them. It is clear to this day that Sneez is a gem that should be valued as such.
Written by: Frequency
The first in a line of players frequently told to “fix their game”, Strong Badam is one of the most notable community figures throughout the history of the scene. Whether it be his many contributions to the game’s development, his work in the early days of PMRank, or his management of Smashboards, Strong Badam contributed more than most in his active years.
Strong Badam’s gameplay contributions are what get him on this list, though, which there are also plenty of. His deadly duo of Wario and Donkey Kong earned him consistent success throughout the first five years of competitive Project M before becoming inactive shortly before the Project+ era. He earned multiple top 8 finishes at major events throughout the years, including the first Low Tier City, FinalBOSS, and The Flex Zone 2, beating top players of each era he competed in along the way. Strong Badam has since retired from competition and is now a full time game developer, but his contributions to his characters and the scene as a whole will never be forgotten.
Written by: Motobug
If you’ve never followed Project M, you might recognize Darc from his stellar early performances in Melee or his recent victory in Rivals 2 doubles at Genesis X2. In the peak of Project M competition during 2015 and 2016, though, Darc was one of the strongest players in the world.
Darc frequently appeared in the upper echelon of major placements during his active period, placing second and fourth at the first two iterations of Blacklisted respectively and fifth at We Tech Those 2. In that We Tech Those 2 run, Darc 3-0’d Malachi with his Marth at a time where Malachi was becoming nigh-untouchable. Darc also kept a stranglehold of his region of Massachusetts during his reign, never dropping from the #1 spot before his move to California. And Darc fans of the world, don’t worry - he’ll still show up at a PM major every now and again to humble the new generation.
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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