The Book of Melee by Edwin Budding

Author:Edwin Budding [Budding, Edwin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: super, smash, bros., melee, nintendo, gamecube
Publisher: Edwin Budding
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16: The Moment of Truth (January 2013 – July 2013)

On January 8, 2013, Evo announced the kickoff of a competition to determine its eighth game. The community that donated the most money to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation would earn a chance to play its game of choice on the big stage at Evo 2013, held in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The drive’s final date was February 1, giving the Melee community a little more than three weeks to bring the scene back into the national spotlight.

Melee It On Me members threw themselves into the competition, certain that winning could transform Melee from a niche hobby into a larger cultural phenomenon. Weekly MIOM streams that typically garnered a few hundred viewers soon took off, reaching thousands of new eyes.

Due to the donation drive, the mid-January three-day major Apex 2013 gained additional publicity. If the event captivated enough viewers, people outside of the scene might even donate to the fundraiser under Melee’s name. However, many community members worried about viewer accessibility. For example, winners semifinals between Hungrybox and Armada at Apex epitomized post-Brawl concerns about defensive and engagement-averse play becoming commonplace within the metagame. On the one hand, no one could reasonably blame either of the two for playing to win; on the other, the very future of Melee was at stake. Infamously, before the set, Hungrybox asked Armada for a double-blind character pick. Many thought Hungrybox would choose another top-tier character, and as Armada selected Young Link, the eager Floridian chose Ness, a low tier and representative of the “Earthbound” franchise.

Needless to say, Hungrybox’s out-of-nowhere counterpick didn’t work. After falling behind 2–0, he went back to Jigglypuff, briefly winning a third game before losing a soul-crushing game four by timeout. Their set lasted for more than half an hour—and by its end, Armada had still won.

On the other side of the event, Dr. PeePee waltzed through most of his competition to winners finals. But in a twist of fate, Mew2King had sent Mango to the losers bracket at a major for the first time in six years.61 The two would once again battle in an explosive four-game losers semifinals, in which Mew2King eliminated Mango. It was a role reversal from Pound 3, where Mango’s planned return to the throne was spoiled by the man whose claim to the throne he once ended.

In turn, Mango’s former apprentice, Dr. PeePee, played spoiler to Mew2King’s redemption-laced third-place run, double eliminating him to stand as the only player in Armada’s path. Here, the North Carolinian selected Marth, rather than Falco.

Drawing on his training with fellow Marth player Cactuar and years of experience, Dr. PeePee wore down his opponents mentally through deceptive aggression and movement. He channeled the character’s natural zoning ability in a way that even Mew2King couldn’t. Above all else was his legendary dash dance game, now remembered as Melee’s greatest ever.

In five thrilling games, Dr. PeePee reset bracket to wild cheers from a heavily American audience. Yet the ever-resilient Armada remained unshakeable in the second set, holding off a valiant effort from Dr.

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