Smasher:MkLeo
| MkLeo "Leo" | |
|---|---|
| |
MkLeo at GENESIS 4.
| |
| Character info | |
| Melee main | Falco |
| Other Melee character | Marth |
| Brawl main | Meta Knight |
| Other Brawl character | Marth |
| Smash 4 mains | Marth, Cloud |
| Other Smash 4 characters | Meta Knight, Corrin, Sheik, Bayonetta, Ike, Lucario, Shulk, Kirby |
| Project M main | Lucario |
| Team info | |
| Sponsor(s) | Echo Fox |
| Former crews | Hydra Team, Rampage Zone, HDG, Smash Factor |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Most recent ranking |  Panda Global Rankings v2: 8th (X-Factor: +5) |
| Winnings | ~$21,183.78 |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Leonardo Lopez Perez |
| Birth date | |
| Location | Ciudad de México 
|
| Miscellaneous info | |
| Skill |  Semi-professional  Professional Top professional  Professional
|
MkLeo, also known simply as Leo, is a Smash 4 top professional smasher from Mexico, maining Marth and Cloud, and is cousins with Serge and Javi. Initially a Meta Knight main, he gradually started to drop him in mid-2016 and now uses him as a counterpick. MkLeo is his country's best player and widely considered to be one of the best players in the world. He is also widely considered to be the best Marth player in the world, as well as one of the best Cloud players in the world (along with komorikiri, Mew2King, Ned and Tweek) and one of the best Meta Knight players (along with Ito and Tyrant).
Leo arguably popularized both Meta Knight and Marth, characters that had been seen as mediocre after their nerfs from Brawl, as top players such as Abadango have since used Meta Knight against other top players until his nerfs in game updates, as well as lower-leveled players picking up Marth due to his dominance with him.
He is so far the youngest player to win a major Smash 4 tournament, doing so at only 15 years old, as well as the 16th player to take a set off of ZeRo, achieving the feat at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga. Due to his aggressive style and heavy punish game with Meta Knight and proving his skills surpass those of top players at a very young age, some hd compared him to Nairo's early Brawl career.
He is also a proficient doubles player, along with his cousin and static partner Javi. Their team consisting of Cloud/Cloud or Cloud/Sheik dominates the Mexican scene and they won Canada Cup 2016 over Mew2King and Ally.
Leo is currently ranked 8th on the Panda Global Rankings, 1st on the Mexico City Smash 4 Power Rankings and 1st on the Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings.
On January 4th, 2017, MkLeo was signed by Echo Fox[1] and Most Valuable Gaming.
Playing style
Leo is known for his aggressive, yet calculated playstyle with most of the characters he plays with, which grants him a strong punish game, as well as being known for his intense mindgames. As Marth, he is well known for his masterful spacing of Marth's aerials, as well as a surprisingly aggressive approach with a character that is often played with a more patient and defensive playstyle. As Cloud, he is more known for his defensive spacing and reserved usage of Limit Break-boosted moves, though he does retain his signature aggressive playstyle with him whenever he has the advantage, allowing him to pressure the opponent very well. As Meta Knight, he is known for his mastery of Meta Knight's combos, his uncanny ability for reading the opponent's air dodges, and his proficiency at executing the Rufio, Meta Knight's famous death combo.
He is also notorious for his player knowledge, defeating his opponents convincingly after initially losing to them in their first encounter. However, he does have some problems on the Ryu matchup, having dropped sets to Darkshad, Trela and Venom.
Tournament history
Climbing the ranks
In 2015, MkLeo was a Meta Knight main and was already considered the best player in Mexico. He burst onto the international Smash scene when he won Smash Factor 4, Mexico's largest Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament at the time, defeating Mr.R in Grand Finals 3-1, 2-stocking him in each game he won. Later in the year, at another Mexican tournament, True Combo, Leo defeated Vinnie 3-1 in Grand Finals, further proving his capabilities as a player and creating more interest in the Mexican Smash scene as a whole.
In 2016, Leo's usage of Meta Knight progressively decreased as he also started to use Cloud. Following Meta Knight's nerfs in game update 1.1.5 and Marth's buffs in the same update (as well as 1.1.4), he started to express high interest on using Marth as a main, and began to rely more on him and Cloud, while only playing Meta Knight in specific match-ups such as Peach and Ryu.
Due to visa issues, Leo was unable to attend an American tournament prior to October 2016. He received his Canadian visa after registration for Get On My Level 2016 had closed, but a decision was made by TOs to allow him to enter despite this, due to a widespread community approval. Using his newfound combination of characters, he notably sent Nairo to losers bracket in a 3-1 set, and almost defeated ZeRo in a last hit, last stock situation, proving that he could go toe-to-toe with many other top players. He then lost to Ally 1-3 in winners semis and ZeRo 2-3 in losers quarters.
At Smash Factor 5, after losing to Wonf in winners quarters 2-3, Leo made a run through the losers bracket, getting the runback against Wonf in losers semis 3-0, eliminating Dabuz in losers finals 3-2, and beating Mr.R twice in grand finals (3-0 and 3-2) to win the tournament with a combination of his three mains. Soon after, at the Rio de Janeiro eGames Showcase 2016, he lost to Ally 0-3 in winners semis and Larry Lurr 1-3 in losers finals, placing 3rd overall.
At Canada Cup 2016, Leo once again confirmed his place among the best, double eliminating Mew2King and taking 2 sets off of Ally in a close 3-2/3-2 Grand Finals to get 1st place.
His USA debut
In October 2016, MkLeo's visa was approved, allowing him to travel to the United States. His first tournament there was KTAR XIX where he placed 3rd, beating Nairo a second time 3-2 but losing to ZeRo 2-3 in winners finals and Salem 1-3 in losers finals.
At UGC Smash Open, he lost to Marss 2-3 in winners and was then upset by Darkshad 1-3 in losers, finishing at a disappointing 13th place. However he won Showdown: Battle Royale one week later defeating Blacktwins 3-0, Seth 3-0, Marss 3-0, and Mr.R 3-0 and 3-1.
At 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, Leo became the 16th person to take a set off of ZeRo, defeating him 3-0 in losers semis. In that tournament, he was sent to losers by VoiD 2-3; subsequently, he made an impressive losers run, defeating Dabuz 3-1, ANTi 3-0, and Ally 3-1, before eliminating ZeRo (perpetuating the saga curse). He then won the rematch against VoiD in losers finals 3-0 to reach Grand Finals against Larry Lurr. He reset the bracket 3-1 and claimed the second set 3-2 (coming back from 0-2 to 3-2) to win his first American national tournament. Soon after, he was sponsored by Rick Fox's eSports team Echo Fox as a result.
2017
A month later, MkLeo travelled to California to participate in the upcoming international tournament GENESIS 4. His first event there was 2GGC: GENESIS Saga, set the weekend before GENESIS, where he beat Rich Brown and his cousin Javi both 3-1 to make it to top 8. He was then sent to losers by VoiD (2-3) and eliminated by Tweek (1-3), placing 5th.
At GENESIS 4, Leo solidly cruised through his round 1 and 2 pools, defeating You3 and Raffi-X both 2-1. In top 32, he beat Elegant and komorikiri in two very close 3-2 sets. In top 8, using Marth only, he first beat Mr.R 3-0, then he defeated Ally 3-1 and 3-2 in winners finals and grand finals respectively, winning his second supermajor tournament in a row.
Leo also won doubles in a dominant manner at both these events, teaming with komorikiri at GENESIS Saga and Ally at GENESIS 4.
At the Texas regional Austin's Really Feeling It #16, Leo defeated Jerm and Karna 2-0 and 3-0 before being defeated by Trela 1-3 in winners finals. After defeating Karna 3-0, once again Leo fell to Trela 1-3 in grand finals, placing 2nd.
Later on at Frostbite 2017, he defeated taranito 2-0 to make it out of pools. In top 48, he was defeated 1-3 by Kameme and sent to losers. In losers, he defeated Abadango 3-0 before being eliminated by VoiD 1-3 and finishing in 13th place.
Leo attended KI Con 2017 two weeks later. He fell to Nairo 2-3 in winners finals. After defeating Illusion 3-0 in losers finals, he faced Nairo again in grand finals where he reset the bracket 3-2 but lost the second set 1-3, placing 2nd.
A week later, Leo attended Frame Perfect Series 2. He was double-eliminated by ZeRo in both winners semis and losers finals (3-0 both sets), ending in 3rd.
At 2GGC: Civil War, Leo was upset by Meteor 0-2 in winners semis of his pool. He then lost in another upset to AC 2-3 in Meta Knight dittos, finishing at 65th, his worst placement yet.
To start off April, he attended KTAR XX where he qualified for top 8 winners after defeating Mr.E 3-0 in a highly anticipated Marth ditto set. He then beat Nairo 3-1 but lost to ZeRo 1-3 in winners finals and Tweek 2-3 in losers finals, placing 3rd.
Returning back to his native Mexico, he attended The Arena 2017 using almost exclusively Corrin the entire tournament. He defeated Wonf 3-0 in winners finals but lost to Javi (Smash 4) 1-3 in the first set of grand finals. Switching out of Corrin, he won the second set 3-1.
Tournament placings
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smash Factor 4 | July 24th-26th, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Thunderstruck 3 | October 16th-18th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| True Combo | October 31st-November 1st, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Bring It! | November 21st, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash@Tier3 Volume 6 | February 6th, 2016 | 2nd | ||
| Hail Smash | March 12th, 2016 | 1st | ? | ? |
| Smash Pendiente XXIV | March 18th, 2016 | 1st | ? | ? |
| StreetBros | March 19th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXV | March 24th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| The Arena 2016 | March 25th-27th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXVI | March 31st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXVII | April 7th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Hail Smash II | April 16th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Street Bros 2 | April 30th, 2016 | 2nd | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXI | May 5th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Get On My Level 2016 | May 20th-22nd, 2016 | 5th | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXXIV | May 26th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Hail Smash III | May 28rd-29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXV | June 2nd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXXVI | June 9th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXVII | June 16th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Factor Prelude | June 18th, 2016 | 2nd | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXVIII | June 23rd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXIX | June 30th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 40 | July 7th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 41 | July 14th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Orbit | July 23rd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Angel |
| Smash Factor 5 | July 29th-31st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 44 | August 4th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 45 | August 11th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Serge |
| Rio de Janeiro eGames Showcase 2016 | August 15th-16th, 2016 | 3rd | — | — |
| Hail Smash V | August 20th-21st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 47 | August 25th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 48 | September 1st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 49 | September 8th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Thunderstruck 4 | September 17th-18th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 51 | September 22nd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 52 | September 29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 53 | October 6th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 54 | October 13th, 2016 | — | 2nd | Lavi |
| Hail Smash VI | October 15th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Canada Cup 2016 | October 28th-30th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 58 | November 10th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| KTAR XIX | November 19th, 2016 | 3rd | 2nd | Mr.E |
| Smash Attack 14 | November 20th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Max Ketchum |
| The Break Weekly #388 | November 22nd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| XenoSaga IV | November 26th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Gomamugitya |
| The Break Weekly #389 | November 29th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Poplar Creek Bowl Weekly #76 | December 1st, 2016 | 1st | 3rd | Rickles |
| UGC Smash Open | December 2nd-4th, 2016 | 13th | 2nd | Day |
| Ignition #60 | December 7th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Poplar Creek Bowl Weekly #77 | December 8th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Mr.R |
| FNSD 26 | December 9th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Showdown: Battle Royale | December 10th-11th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Ally |
| GGSW 11 | December 13th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smashfield Weeklies #68 | December 15th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GGT: ZeRo Saga | December 16th-18th, 2016 | 1st | 5th | Dabuz |
| Smash Pendiente 64 | December 22nd, 2016 | — | 1st | Lavi |
| Smash Pendiente 65 | December 29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Yura |
| Smash Pendiente 66 | January 5th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | BryanZ |
| 2GGC: GENESIS Saga | January 14th, 2017 | 5th | 1st | komorikiri |
| Mega Smash Mondays 81 | January 16th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| GENESIS 4 | January 20th-22nd, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Ally |
| Smash Pendiente 69 | January 26th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Austin's Really Feeling It 16 | February 11th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Freezing Point: A Prelude to Frostbite | February 24th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Frostbite 2017 | February 25th-26th, 2017 | 13th | 1st | Ally |
| Smash 'N' Chill Weekly #7 | February 28th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| No Fun Allowed | March 4th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Cosmos |
| Smash 4 at KI Con | March 10th-12th, 2017 | 2nd | 1st | Nairo |
| Frame Perfect Series 2 | March 18th-19th, 2017 | 3rd | 4th | Mew2King |
| 2GGC: Civil War | March 24th-26th, 2017 | 65th | 1st | Javi |
| Mega Smash Mondays 91 | March 27th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Wednesday Night Fights Winter Season 1.7 | March 29th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| KTAR XX | April 1st-2nd, 2017 | 3rd | 1st | ZeRo |
| The Arena 2017 | April 8th-9th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
Project M
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement |
|---|---|---|
| Smash Factor 3 | August 1st-3rd, 2014 | 2nd |
Trivia
- The "MK" in his gamertag stands for "Monster Kingdom", which is the name of a local game store owned by his brother. Since MK is also a common acronym for Meta Knight, many have incorrectly assumed that is what his gamertag means[2].
- Prior to Smash@Tier3 Volume 6, he had won every single Mexican Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament that he had entered. However, Serge (his cousin) managed to defeat him twice at said tournament, ending his streak.
Gameplay videos
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- MKLeo vs Mr. R - Smash Factor 4 - Grand Finals - Smash Wii U
- IQHQ Vinnie RZ Leo Grand Finals
- HY M(k) Leo vs SC Serge - GRAND FINALS - Smash@Tier3 Vol6
- SF5 Smash 4 - SF HDG | MKLeo (Marth, Metaknight) Vs. Mr. R (Sheik) SSB4 Grand Finals - Smash Wii U
- SF5 Smash 4 - dT Dabuz (Rosalina, Olimar) Vs. SF | MKLeo (Metaknight, Cloud) SSB4 LF - Smash Wii U
- KTAR XIX - NRG Nairo (ZSS) vs MKLeo (Marth/MK)
- Genesis 4 Smash 4 - C9 | Ally (Mario) Vs. FOX MVG | MkLeo (Marth) SSB4 Winners Finals - Smash Wii U
