Matthew “mattpopa” Popa
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#10: Jackie | Average: 10.94
After moving to the Chicagoland area earlier this year, Jackie immediately settled in through Chicago’s newest local, RPM, where they consistently have strong performances in both Melee and Project +. The former St. Louis Ganon acted as a gatekeeper for the final Act of 2024, making their way onto Chicago’s Power Rankings for the first time at 10th. Across their many RPM runs, Jackie took wins against fellow PR newcomers Fry and anxious, as well as other up and coming threats in FeelinGood, Ashley, Trevor, Binary Clone, and surskim.
Jackie has proved they’re right at home in Chicagoland, joining Michael and ORLY as members of the Melee and P+ rankings. Their final event of the year was especially promising, where they defeated mase and got that aforementioned win against FeelinGood, before falling to GI0GOAT for 5th in a close game 3. If Jackie can keep their play consistent, and start closing out potential upsets, we may see a new Ganon break into single digits and beyond.
Kevin “tenacity” Donnelly

#9: anxious | Average: 8.88
From Florida to Chicago, from character to character, Jade “anxious” makes her Chicago PR debut at the humble #9 spot. A rank that has been held by former sheiks such as Pleeba, Larfen and lovestory4a, cementing herself as one of the best CLM sheik players. Although she found much of her success playing Fox, anxious is capable of playing just about any character on any controller without feeling much drawback. At her first RPM of the season, Jade took 3rd place, notably double eliminating Killablue and Jackie, showing that she is ready to be ranked in The Windy City. Although this was her standout performance of Act 3, Jade remained consistently strong across 14 events, earning numerous top-8 finishes and solid victories over notable players like dz, Frost, and Scooby. While these players did not meet attendance, they were still vital in her road to being a top 10 threat. Her peaks indicate that she’s capable of punching high to score major upsets, but she also faced some bracket demons. Jade struggled to close out sets against Fry, Unsure, and lovestory4a, failing to capture a single set win over them. However, the score does not tell the whole story, as these were usually close sets that came down to the wire.
Outside of a few non PR losses (Binary Clone, Kaiser, and Rye), Jade continued to show up, discuss strategies, and put herself through hardship. Her dedication to improvement is admirable and she is finally receiving flowers for her commitment. She has stargazing combos, dazzles in technical prowess, and tinkers in micro situations. Anyone that has ever played friendlies with anxious understands that she’s hella good at Melee and has a lot of untapped potential. Jade is a promising player that has all the tools necessary to become a top competitor in Melee but beyond her skills on the sticks (or rather buttons), she is a great presence in CLM, and makes the community shine even brighter.
lovestory4a

#8: Unsure | Average: 8.29
In the first half of 2024, Unsure finally distinguished himself on Melee’s national stage as one of the greatest Fox players versus Jigglypuff in the game, wracking up multiple global Top 100 wins in one of Melee’s most storied matchups. In the wake of this, Unsure did what any normal person would do — start playing a lot of Sheik.
Why did he do it? Maybe he just wanted one more reason to hate the Ice Climbers. Either way, he managed to stay on Chicago’s power rankings with a respectable resume.
Unsure’s Sheik managed to hold a spot on Chicago’s power rankings this season by maintaining solid head to heads with a few other players on the list. He managed to hold a 2-0 record over anxious and a 3-2 record over Fry in a season where both of those players were ascendant.
His record against most of those ranked above him, however, was weak. He failed to take a single set off of Latin (0-2) or lovestory4a (0-5!).
I don’t think even Unsure would say that his Sheik is as strong as his Fox, but it’s still good enough to count as among Chicago’s finest, and that, in and of itself, is an achievement. This rectangle wrangler is anything but predictable.
Matthew “Dr. Hunk” Koester

#7: Fry | Average: 7.12
Over the years, many Chicago Peach mains have distinguished themselves by earning a spot on the PR. In Act III of 2024, Chris P. “Fry” joined their esteemed ranks, establishing himself as a formidable threat in CLM. His stoic and dauntless skills with the princess yielded convincing head-to-heads against fellow up-and-comers Ashley, Binary Clone, surskim, Jackie and anxious. Fry also managed to punch above his weight, scoring wins on GI0GOAT and Latin, and finishing the season with a 2-0 record versus Killablue.
However, perhaps the most impressive detail of his resume was that he achieved these consistent results by attending 28 locals, more than any other player in Chicago. At any given RPM or Midlane, one is likely to find Fry with a drink in his hand and a smile on his face, ready to send his opponents to the losers bracket.
Rocco “Latin” M.

#6: ORLY | Average: 5.88
Few things in life are said to be certain; death, taxes, and uncle O making an appearance on the Chicagoland Melee Power Rankings. In his 26th time being ranked in Chicago, ORLY further cemented his legacy as one of Chicago suburbs’ strongest competitors. He managed to come away from the season having won multiple events over several of Chicago’s finest foes, with the highlight of the act being his run at Tripoint 261. At that particular TPS, he was knocked to losers by dz in Winners Quarters, then took down Josh, won the runback against dz, and defeated lovestory4a twice to win the tournament.
ORLY continued to take sets against Michael, this time going 3-9 against Chicago’s top Puff, and had a strong showing against lovestory4a with a record of 6-5. He also split sets with Certified going 1-1, and has that aforementioned set win against dz. Time and again ORLY has shown he has what it takes to continually go toe to toe with Chicagoland’s finest, and this season was no different. Despite another strong season, a lack of data against top city talent may have kept him from breaking into the top 5 once again. All he may need is a trip up the city to show us his moves and to regain his place among Chicago’s elite.
Kevin “tenacity” Donnelly

#5: lovestory4a | Average: 5.18
It’s January 16, 2025, and a handful of top players are all trying to make it to Slippi’s Grandmaster Rank with some of the worst characters in the game. Among those players is Hungrybox, who in a nineteen game winning streak, finds himself on the precipice of a coasting right into this esteemed ranking with his trusty low tier Ness. Then, he matches with lovestory4a. By the end of the night, Hbox’s dreams, and his ELO, had been shattered, his 2-0 loss to the CLM Sheik had set off a lengthy losing streak.
“I couldn’t let him have GM for free,” lovestory4a would later comment.
If there’s one thing I know about the player sometimes known as lovestory4a, it’s that he loves to win in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Whether he’s farming top players’ secondaries online, or showing up near the top placements of just about any local in Chicagoland. In Act III of 2024, if this player can figure out how to beat you, he will beat you. That killer instinct is paying off as well, as the CLM Sheik has returned from inactivity to now reach his highest spot on the PR yet.
Naturally, there were some breakthroughs. He finally took a set over Michael at Tripoint Smash 260, even if he lost against the infamous Jigglypuff far more times. He all but farmed dz, taking seven sets and losing only one to the renowned Yoshi. He even scored a win over Zamu at Midlane Melee 148 as well.
Still, much of CLM’s upper crust gave him trouble. He only took one set off of GI0GOAT, who beat him twice in Act III, and he failed to take a set off of both Ober and Latin as well. Tripoint Smash legend ORLY also managed to hold a 6-5 record over the Sheik.
Despite this, against most of those ranked below him, lovestory4a cooked. He beat Fry six times without losing once. He beat Unsure six times without losing once. He beat Anxious three times without losing once. He beat Jackie two times without losing once. For PR hopefuls then, lovestory4a was a wall.
Matthew “Dr. Hunk” Koester

#4: Latin | Average: 3.71
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. They risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment. This makes the most impressive position that of someone who is a critic and an artist. CLM is lucky to have one of the finest of these players in Rocco “Latin” M.
This season had a series of notable tournaments for the Indiana turned Chicago Marth/Sheik main. These include wins at RPM 15 and 16, 2nd at Midlane Melee 147, and 3rd at Midlane Melee 149. These tournaments fueled Latin’s 3-1 record over Ober and 2-0 record over Lovestory4a. In the later months, Latin took a step back from competing, but is already showing up to tournaments in 2025. It’s only a matter of time before Latin’s Marth takes up the sword again to match her posting prowess.
Alex “Coffee” Swett

#3: GI0GOAT | Average: 3.35
Once again, Giovanne returns to the PR in Chicago, but this time placing higher than ever before! At the start of this year, GI0GOAT seemed to put Melee on the backburner, but with a thundering return to form in Act 2, comes the harvested fruit of their labors with a 3rd placement on this Act 3 power rankings.
GI0 put on a show this season, never placing below top 8 and winning 2 RPMs over Latin and Azzu. On top of this, they secured a top 100 win with a victory against MOF and achieved another notable win against the UK’s max. GI0 also gate-kept everyone else from touching their 3rd place with dominant winning records, against such players as Chicago’s finest Marth player, Latin, who they were neck and neck with the whole Act 2 with a 5-5 split between their sets. This act, with the help of a heap of grinding and some lessons at Fiction University, GI0 ended this season 5-1 against Latin. They also continued their tear against players just below them, such as lovestory4a (2-1), Fry (5-1), Azzu (2-0), and much more.
In 2025, Gio is finally eyeing the top of the rankings, with the memory of first getting ranked in 2021 far behind them. They will be looking to overcome the players that held them back in Ober and Michael, along with fending off Midwest invaders like Blue. This consistency from their stylish and technical Fox has kept CLM on the edge of their seats for years, and will continue to inspire Chicago for more to come, as long as Titanfall 2 doesn’t get in the way.
goose447

#2: Michael | Average: 1.76
Michael41billion has returned once again to the CLM PR in Act 3 at 2nd. The Tripoint titan himself went up a placement since last season and put up a near indestructible wall of consistency that no one under him could topple. This Act, he won 8 Tripoints out of the 10 he attended! While never placing below 4th, Michael had outrageous records against CLM, such as GI0GOAT (1-0), Lovestory4a (6-1), ORLY (9-3), Fry (3-0) and many more. He was also one of two people to take sets off Indiana’s finest, Blue, going 2-1 against him. This is an incredible feat that solidified his placement as top 2, however, a return to 1st like he has had so many times before just barely fell through his fingertips.
Chicago’s top Puff went 0-2 against number 1 this act, Ober, which made voters very 50/50 on who they wanted to vote for first place.The race was close, however Michael fell short in the end, making us wonder if he will take the crown again next season. However a return to first soon is not even close to being out of the picture. Mr. 41 doesn’t seem to be putting down the sticks anytime soon, this being his 19th appearance on Chicago’s PR. He continues to build his legacy as one of Chicago’s most consistent players, and shows no sign of slowing down. Will he beat Ober and close it out against Blue once again next act? We can only wait and see what the former top 50 Puff’s next move is.
goose447

#1: Ober | Average: 1.24
In 2019, Chicago Melee saw a fresh face make his debut in the city. Eking onto the Fall PR in last place was Florida transplant Ober. Five years later, after countless hours of dedicated practice and relentless improvement, Ober has achieved what only six others have in CLM history: rank #1. His Act III resume featured dominant records over fellow competitors and an unmatched level of consistency; impressive feats for an era full of upsets and rising stars. He also championed his city at larger tournaments across the Midwest, scoring wins on regional talents like Just, Acid, and Negat!ve.
Despite this success, as the season drew to a close, he had yet to face off against Michael, a perennial titan of CLM and rival #1 contender for the ranking period. Their climactic showdown at RPM #24 saw Ober emerge victorious, securing the title and supremacy that he had chased for so long. In truth, the accomplishment was inevitable—simply the result of robust gameplans, steady breaths, and skilled execution, synthesized into the greatest Falco Chicago has ever seen.
Rocco “Latin” M.
Thank you for checking out the 2024 Act 3 Power Rankings for Chicagoland Melee. Once again thank you to all those involved in making this possible. Join our Discord for updates and if you still haven’t seen it, check out the interactive PR graphic.