This weekend, the big story would probably be that all the Smash Summit 8 spots have been filled, with Moky clinching it with an astounding 2nd place performance at The Kid, the Goat, and the Mang0. There, the Canadian proved his GOML run was no fluke, as he defeated Westballz, SFAT and Swedish Delight, as well as keeping it competitive with S2J over 2 sets. Moky’s inclusion concludes the entrants to what is easily the most internationally represented Summit of all time, with 6 of the 16 competitors not residing in the USA. It is sure to be a star-studded event, and will be one of the final events for the summer ranking, something that is hotly contested at all spots down the list.
In other news, Trifasia overcame an early loss to NMW at Omega III to take home the gold, defeating Darktooth, Overtriforce, Professor Pro, Slox, and Hax$ twice in a row. Bobby Frizz also defended Kansas in an unusually stacked monthly over the likes of Reesch, Russell, Scape and Slowking. Otherwise, the big story was really just The Mango, with some stellar upsets and results across the board. Let’s look into them.
1.The Mango Results
Outside of the familiar names we expect to see in the running, such as Swedish Delight, SFAT or Lucky, there were two players in particular I would like to highlight. Those would be the Arizona Fox/Marth dual main Medz, and the Oregon up and coming Peach Aura.
Medz has been a mainstay of top level Melee since his initial rise in roughly 2015, and has stayed consistent in skill since, if not attendance. He showed great prowess this weekend, using a mix of his Marth and Fox to defeat Spud, PewPewU and KJH en route to a Top 8 Placing. This, in addition to a tournament win over Axe earlier in the year, gives Medz a strong resume for a Top 50 placing on the year thus far, though we can only hope he meets the attendance requirements for it, unlike last year.
As for Aura, he has had a very strong rise throughout the year, starting with his Don’t Park on the Grass performance that led him to earning a fly out to Full Bloom 5. He proved he deserved that spot as well with a win on Rocky at said event, in addition to other wins throughout the year over people like Tai, NMW, HugS, Bladewise and Ka-Master. At this tournament, he once again proved himself, defeating ARMY and taking Swedish Delight to the brink for a 9th place finish. The #2 in Oregon is certainly one to watch out for in the coming months, and has more than earned a place at least in the Top 100 so far.
2.Smash Summit 8 is next weekend!
Featuring Hungrybox, Mango, Plup, Leffen, Wizzrobe, Axe, aMSa, Zain, S2J, iBDW, Trif, Moky, Ginger, Spud, n0ne and Drephen, this Summit is one of the more intriguing ones to happen in my opinion. We are at a crossroads of eras at this point, with the new guard finally beginning to overtake the gods who have held this scene in their hands for a decade. Similar to the likes of 2008 and early 2009, it is only a matter of time until the transition is fully completed, and who knows what tournament that will be. It could be this one, or we could be in this fight for a lot longer. Nonetheless, this old vs. new battle is certainly one I’m looking out for at every major to come for the year.
Hungrybox, Mango, Leffen and Wizzrobe all have the potential to earn that #1 spot with a win at Summit, albeit depending on the others’ performances it can still be hotly contested. Plup, Axe, aMSa and Zain are just below, all looking to establish themselves as a Top 5 talent, some for the first time ever, and some just trying to cling on. Below that are people fast on the rise, such as Trif, Ginger, Moky or iBDW, as well as stable players who have gone throughout the years like S2J, or the oldest guard trying to go for one last hurrah with Drephen. Everybody has a story, one they are trying to write to its fullest for the end of this ranking period and beyond. Only time will tell how the story finishes, but for now, we can only watch, and witness true history happen before our eyes.
My prediction is a Leffen victory at Summit. Not on any stats or logical reasoning, but on pure feeling. It seems as if anything can happen at the top level right now, and I think it’s time for things to get even crazier with another major winner on the year.
Once again, I’m going to have to postpone the mailbag! I didn’t have time to answer all the questions I wanted due to my niece being born over the weekend, so I hope you can all forgive me! Mailbag will resume starting next week! Enjoy Summit!