Super Smash Bros. Melee in competitive play: Difference between revisions

While ''Smash Bros.'' has been viewed as a "casual party game" by [[Nintendo]], [[Masahiro Sakurai]] (the series' main developer), and the general public, this did not stop fans from playing the game at a competitive level. Following ''Melee''{{'}}s release in 2001, avid players started to utilize the game's unique physics engine to generate unexpectedly fast movement across the stage, which had never before been seen in the Smash series. As players began perfecting newly discovered techniques such as [[wavedashing]], [[dashdancing]], and [[L-canceling]], many smashers began hosting small tournaments for the first time; these tournaments were usually held among small groups of friends in basements or video game stores. However, {{Sm|Matt Deezie}} is credited as the founder of the competitive Smash scene, when he began hosting the [[Tournament Go]] series in Northern California, in April 2002. Tournament Go helped bring to attention a standard, unified ruleset of legal stages and tournament procedures, and generate increased competitive interest in NorCal and across the United States. By the time the tournament series concluded with [[Tournament Go 6]] in 2004, Matt Deezie had hosted the first 100-man tournament with the best players from all corners of the United States, such as {{Sm|Ken}}, {{Sm|Azen}}, and {{Sm|ChuDat}}, in attendance. Meanwhile, other large nationals such as [[MELEE-FC]] and {{b|Game Over|tournament}} sprung up in different regions of the country. This initial surge of tournament activity paved the way for increased support from large video game organizations, such as [[Major League Gaming]], into the young ''Melee'' scene.

After Nintendo released its newest ''Smash Bros.'' game, ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', in March 2008, ''Melee'' players questioned the survivability of their game as much of the community moved on to the new title. These fears turned out to be true, as 2008, commonly known as the '''Dark Age''' of ''Melee'', became completely dominated by the ''Brawl'' scene; not a single ''Melee'' major was held for around a year, and the few small tournaments held registered paltry attendance numbers compared to those of just the year before. The ''Melee'' scene remained stagnant until {{sm|Alukard}} held [[Revival of Melee]] in Nanuet, New York, in March 2009. This tournament was the first American event to feature ''Melee''{{'}}s best players from across the country (such as {{sm|Mew2King}}, {{sm|Mango}}, {{sm|PC Chris}}, and {{sm|Azen}}) since [[Pound 3]] in February 2008, and was the beginning of a gradual revival in tournament attendance back to pre-''Brawl'' levels. The renewed surge in attendance was aided by the fact that many ''Melee'' players disliked the slower, less combo-oriented gameplay of ''Brawl'' and returned to the former game shortly after its release. While [[EVO]] and [[Major League Gaming]] added ''Brawl'' to their major tournaments, the ''Melee'' community held on through a strong grassroots presence. ''Melee'' players' desires to remain a strong presence in the Smash scene led to the hosting of bigger and bigger tournaments, including [[GENESIS]] and [[Pound 4]], and ''Melee'' was able to maintain tournament numbers similar to those of ''Brawl'', even though the 2008 game attracted more newer ''Smash'' players than its predecessor.

 

Following the declining activity of ''Melee''{{'}}s strongest players, such as {{Sm|Ken}}, {{Sm|KoreanDJ}}, Azen, and PC Chris, the tournaments of this age have been dominated by '''The Five Gods''': the five very best players of ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' throughout this time period. These five players, {{Sm|Armada}}, {{Sm|Hungrybox}}, {{Sm|Mango}}, {{Sm|Mew2King}}, and {{Sm|PPMD}}, have consistently dominated tournaments from around 2008 to the present, while rarely losing tournament sets to players that aren't among the gods themselves. These five players won every tournament where at least two of them were in attendance from 2008 to 2015, except for [[Tournament:Don't Go Down There Jeff|Don't Go Down There Jeff]], where Mango sandbagged for part of the tourney.

The era of ''Melee'' since 2013 has become known as the '''Platinum Age''', and has been characterized by an explosive spike in attendance numbers to a level never seen before, and another transition from a largely grassroots scene to an increased connection and involvement with the rest of the eSports community. [[EVO 2013]] was the tournament that sparked the massive growth of the ''Melee'' scene. After EVO's announcement of a donation drive to feature an eighth title at the world's largest fighting game tournament, [[Melee It On Me]] and other groups organized efforts that raised nearly $95,000, allowing ''Melee'' to become the final featured game at EVO. Hosted from July 12th-14th, 2013, EVO drew a staggering 709 entrants, becoming the largest ''Melee'' tournament of all time. The tournament surpassed [[Pound 4]], the previous record holder, by twice as many entrants, and was the third largest game at EVO, even though it hadn't been featured in the series since 2007.  

The excitement and energy generated by these three tournaments led to increased attention from the eSports scene as a whole, despite the fighting game community's persistent refusal to recognize ''Smash'' as one of their own. Many of the largest names in the competitive gaming industry, such as [[Cloud 9]], [[Team Curse]], and [[Evil Geniuses]], began sponsoring ''Melee''{{'}}s top players, creating further growth and interest from other members of the gaming community. [[Nintendo]] was initially extremely hostile towards the competitive ''Melee'' scene, as showcased by its attempt to block the streaming of the ''Melee'' portion of EVO 2013 (and, as later discovered, to shut down the event entirely). However, 2014 saw a completely unexpected turnaround, as [[Reggie Fils-Aimé]] of Nintendo of America made a guest appearance through video at EVO 2014 just a year later, congratulating the tournament's top eight finalists, and the company has even sponsored tournaments such as [[Apex 2015]]. 2014 also marked the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' for the newer Wii U console, but the game's release had no real effect on attendance for the ''Melee'' scene, as the ''Melee'' fanbase continued to play the older game instead of moving onto ''Smash 4'' due to the latter game having slower and less technical gameplay, much like the heavily criticized ''Brawl'' (but not to the same extent). Since ''Smash 4''{{'}}s release, ''Melee'' has continued to set new attendance milestones; Apex 2015 broke the 1,000 entrant mark in the winter of 2015, and [[EVO 2015]]'s 1,869 entrants topped even its previous years, setting a record for the largest ''Melee'' tournament of all time.   

While The Five Gods had continued to dominate ''Melee'' majors in the new era, notably featuring {{Sm|Mango}}'s two wins at EVO 2013 and 2014, {{Sm|Leffen}} and {{Sm|Plup}} had emerged as true challengers to them, and are the only two players who have defeated all five in a tournament set. Following his rise in 2014, Leffen won [[B.E.A.S.T 5]], marking the first non-God victory at a major with at least two in attendance since 2008; he won his first American major, [[CEO 2015]], that same year, with three of the gods present. He has also won [[Get On My Level 2016]], defeating four gods all in a row without dropping a set. Plup became the second player after Leffen to win a major with two or more gods in attendance, taking [[DreamHack Atlanta 2017]] over Hungrybox and Mew2King; he would go on to win [[GENESIS 5]], winning over Mango and Armada, and double eliminating Hungrybox.