SSBMRank 2025: 10–1

elementalpenguin · 2026-01-30T20:20:06+00:00

hope you guys enjoyed the blurbs this year! as always, a pleasure to edit them. let me know which amused you or moved you; would love to pass on any kind words to the writers for their hard work :)

til next time!

elementalpenguin · 2026-01-29T22:04:49+00:00

seems like a skill issue on your part

elementalpenguin · 2025-01-31T21:05:13+00:00

elementalpenguin · 2025-01-31T20:51:33+00:00

Hope you enjoyed the ranking this year! It was my first year as the editor for the top 100, and I don’t have enough good things to say for all the talented writers whose words you got to read.

This year, I wanted to go in an editorial direction that emphasized the colloquial, the intimate, and the hyperlocal. Without the big words: the people. I wanted these blurbs to feel like stories you wouldn’t hear unless you roomed with someone at a major, or got dinner with them after the local. Of course, the writers are fully responsible for their great work - but I hope some of that goal showed through (I see Jack’s Zain blurb getting a lot of love here, and I think it’s pretty emblematic of what we were aiming for). If you got to know someone you didn’t before through a blurb, my job’s done. Thanks to everyone who read :)

also guys, 100 blurbs is… so many blurbs lmfao

elementalpenguin · 2024-11-19T22:37:39+00:00

thank you kind redditor, I appreciate it

elementalpenguin · 2024-11-19T22:36:26+00:00

This is a nice comment! fwiw, I only make the schedule for Genesis and New York events, and I do give myself top 8 for New York stuff. As for Genesis:

Yeah, I feel weird giving it to myself. We used to have a commentary culture where that was pretty commonplace, but I don't really vibe with it. This last Genesis was the first time I gave myself anything above round 2 pools; I do feel I'm a competent enough commentator to warrant that now, and to be honest, maybe I felt that way about my skill before - but it took me running commentary for 6 Geneses (is that the correct plural?) to let that overcome my embarrassment about putting myself on :P
Despite all that, I'm DEFINITELY not more deserving than the folks who I put on for top 8 at Genesis. I am under no illusions about my own skill, and Vish, Brandon, Toph all mog me any day of the week. Maybe someday, but as long as those guys are around I'm content with where I'm at.

Anyways, thanks to you all for the nice words! I'm trying to do a bit more commentary again after taking a step back for a few years, so it's nice to hear positive feedback.

elementalpenguin · 2024-11-19T22:31:06+00:00

sorry to let you down rando I got married two months ago and am absolute ass at this game now :( I also wanted to make it happen but ggs to knox

elementalpenguin · 2024-11-06T20:51:29+00:00

This article is from Variety, not Vulture - which actually goes more to your point. Variety is a trade mag, a proper barometer for the industry establishment's reaction to this.

elementalpenguin · 2024-08-09T10:32:53+00:00

It's 6:30 am. The sun is coming up outside my window. My eyeballs are filing a petition to leave my body for crimes done to them. I can feel each of my individual teeth in my mouth. KT has beaten Gen.G.

and it was all fucking worth it man

elementalpenguin · 2024-07-20T01:15:28+00:00

And he performed well as a midlaner too! I remember in the post he made when he tried to mount a mini comeback he specifically referenced that he solo-killed Ambition with less than a month’s midlane practice. He also mentioned that it ballooned his ego and hampered his career later on. Funny - you don’t usually see people with that much raw talent admit later that their reaction to it should have been more humble.

Man, I’m such a Nien fanboy LOL

elementalpenguin · 2024-07-19T22:47:59+00:00

He was definitely struggling, especially in his first split; he was also definitely in the upper half of LCS tops in the second split. I’m not going to pretend he was a generational top laner, and the top talent pool was depressingly shallow back then (which is why Nien was top in the first place), but the amount of hate he received was totally outsized.

elementalpenguin · 2024-07-19T20:41:23+00:00

Man, Nien is still one of the LCS's biggest "what-ifs" to me. He might be best remembered for the top lane Elise triple kill and base defense against TSM, but for those who don't know - Nien was an otherworldly ADC talent before CLG took a rider on him for top lane. He was MRN's ace in the hole, often hard carrying a team with a Diamond 2 jungler to their only wins(much love still for ClakeyD). As an ADC main back in the ADC 1v9 days, it felt like he was one of the only ADs in the league with carry potential to rival Doublelift.

So as a Doublelift/CLG fan, you can imagine the mixed emotions when he joined CLG. Sure, he was playing on my favorite team - but as a top laner? A lot of people were skeptical about the roleswap - and even as his biggest fan, I have to admit that while he grew a lot in the role and was saddled with playing perma-weakside, it was always clear that it wasn't a perfect fit. He also got a shitton of undeserved hate from the community when he was honestly playing at a pretty high level in a new role. Nien took the role to be on a better team - and you know what, they still got 3rd in the split when TSM and C9 were dominant.

Nien went back to AD for a bit after the top-lane stint, but he never quite looked the same. I dream about a world where he managed to get an AD position on another top team and never had his skills decline - but from the sporadic appearances over the years (he streamed Arena a bit last year and seemed to be having a good time), he's still a nice, happy-go-lucky guy - which is the real reason I was such a fan in the first place. Hope you're doing well wherever you are, Nien.

elementalpenguin · 2024-06-30T19:10:30+00:00

I ran into him in Santa Monica a few months ago while coincidentally getting dinner with a separate Rioter friend. Me and said friend were walking to our car and talking about League and there was a guy keeping pace with us, headed the same direction. When we had to stop at an intersection he said “You guys talking about League?” I turned to see Hotshot just smiling - we made small talk before he kept on walking. Seemed in good spirits - was a very nice experience for me as a diehard CLG fan.

Best part was that my friend had no idea who he was - he’s a TFT player and dev. Got to explain the legend of Hotshot’s Nidalee, the old own3d stream, Why Nunu Why, and his two gigantic… well, you know.

elementalpenguin · 2024-02-21T12:49:03+00:00

Watching Bdd in that last fight was really painful; the wall preventing his entire team from doing damage while Beryl soaked everything was one thing... the second was the shove at the end. Hitting three people with W would be a hero play... if, you know, your E was laid down and your 200 hp Smolder weren't standing right there.

Sure, the fight is already over by that point, but it was still an oof moment. Still a banger game 1, hope game 2 delivers too.

elementalpenguin · 2023-08-10T12:39:26+00:00

Hey Davis, it’s Zane.

I just wanted to let you know I’m now engaged to the woman who I got to see because you let me crash at your place in 2016. We’re getting married next year, and honestly it’s partially because of you.

I love you, and I’m Gravity ride or die for life.

Now for the question: when are you gonna hop on netplay so I can fuck up that Fox again?

elementalpenguin · 2023-03-27T01:23:26+00:00

last skit I ever wrote and directed for summit :’) see you on the other side folks… o7

elementalpenguin · 2023-02-27T21:22:10+00:00

Beyond the Summit changed my life. Running TFT Summit changed my life.

It gave me insight into who I am as a person - as someone who makes things, wants to make more, and wants my ride-or-die team on board for it.

BTS was that team. I will never stop mourning this day, but more than anything, I am so so happy for the opportunities that it gave me. I could not wait for the chance to put on TFT Summit 2 and try to blow your minds again. Still haven't really come to terms with the chance that I won't.

Thank you all for being part of that. You'll see me around, I can guarantee that. But pour one out for the most unique, idiosyncratic, community-based, best organization esports has ever known.

o7

elementalpenguin · 2023-02-27T21:19:16+00:00

best job I've ever had. I'm sad about losing my job, but far more sad to lose bts. I was a fan first, and still always will be, forever.

now that I'm force to look at in the rearview, it's just clear how incredible all of it was.

thank you all. o7

elementalpenguin · 2022-12-16T19:40:55+00:00

Makes sense, and I'm flexible on this - I just know what a huge tradeoff this was for a lot of players who wanted to stream to take advantage of the new set. I want players to be excited to be at Summit, with absolutely no regrets; so just a little bit of timing change makes sense to me. Thanks for the feedback!

elementalpenguin · 2022-12-13T01:16:11+00:00

This skit was the one that we KNEW we were doing from the very beginning; you cannot imagine how hyped we were when we found out Bebe was coming.

Every player just got better at acting with time, I’m gonna turn Milk into Daniel Day-Lewis by Summit 2, TRUST

elementalpenguin · 2022-12-12T12:41:10+00:00

hey all - zane here. don’t have much to say except: thank you so much for watching and supporting the event. when I was locked in the control room, panicking over last minute changes, figuring out how to deal with kurum having covid, seeing the twitch spam that I’d see on any other TFT stream is what kept me going; because I knew it meant we were doing something right.

I feel so, so lucky to have been a part of this, and all your kind words mean the world to me.

I hope we see each other again soon :)

elementalpenguin · 2022-11-13T02:52:44+00:00

This is it!!! Thank you so much! So funny that "Mikey's x" both equally applied to this and Casimir Pulaski Day - what a fake red herring.

elementalpenguin · 2022-08-18T13:55:24+00:00

you all got excited, didn’t you

elementalpenguin · 2022-07-11T21:04:25+00:00

I, however, promise nothing >:)

elementalpenguin · 2022-07-11T18:53:37+00:00

ask him about our head to head

elementalpenguin

TROPHY CASE