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Tuesday Morning Marth: January 2

Edwin Budding
Published January 2, 2024

If there is a better way to begin the new year than talking about what happened in the previous one, I’m not aware of it. For the last decade, predicting the Top 100 has been the main focus of most smashers. But for today, I’m going to talk about something way more dumb. Welcome to the Eggwin Awards – which I insist we collectively refer to as the Eggwins.

NOTE: Eggwin is in reference to an emote of my face, shaped like an egg.

What are the Eggwins, you ask? They are a fun group of ‘community awards’ I came up with over the holidays to celebrate the contributions of people in the scene outside of competition in 2023. Is this ultimately my way of channeling my ranking-obsessed brainworms into a creative outlet? Yeah, probably. But it’s also an excuse for me to publicly celebrate and highlight some key figures in the scene. If you think the existence of the “Eggwins” illustrates a level of self-delusion and exaggerated importance, you are not totally wrong, but clearly, this type of thing is not for you. Here are the categories:

  • The You’re Cool Award
  • Commentator of the Year
  • Content Creator of the Year
  • Streamer of the Year
  • Twitter of the Year
  • Major of the Year
  • Local of the Year
  • Region of the Year

Next week, I’ll be revealing the winners. How will they be determined? I have no idea. Initially, I was just gonna go with my gut and pick them myself. Maybe it would be better for me to grab a panel. Who knows? I am making this shit up on the fly and have no interest in pretending otherwise. For now, let’s get into the nominees.

The You’re Cool Award

First off, we’ll start with a category for people in the scene whose contributions don’t cleanly fit into one category. Although some of them may technically qualify, I think they warrant unique mention for either carving out a “niche” for themself or taking an existing form of involvement to higher levels.

Smash photographers have long been a critical part of the scene, but I truly mean it when I say that bluerosetori has done such a phenomenal job. She’s legitimately established a spot in Smash culture, with her photos being used everywhere. Does anyone else have a term like “bluerosetori pfp?” If so, I’m not aware.

In a time in which many long-term sponsors of the scene are leaving the scene, Eggdog Esports has stepped up in a big way over the last year. Between supporting players such as Cody Schwab and Plup, this organization’s impact shouldn’t be understated. I look forward to seeing how they remain involved in 2024, and it seems like events such as Eggdog Scramble might slowly become more common.

My “not entirely objective” nominee of this category is toward a fellow Melee Stats person, Benadyck. What you might not know about Benadyck is that he proactively downloads entire Twitch and YouTube videos to archive them. Not many people are aware of this project’s existence, and it’s not one you’ll hear talk about publicly, but it’s a critically important one that may become even more key in the short-term.

You may be wondering, what the hell KJH is doing here; that he already is getting recognition as a top player. But frankly his contributions in educational Melee content really stand out. The large amounts of savestates that he makes for Mango’s Patreon are of high quality, he coaches Melee players, and he constantly shares his thoughts on the game and streams. I can’t recommend it enough.

If you asked me to name a Netplay TO in the scene, I genuinely would think of DevDogg – the leader of Waddle Wednesday – first. Although their series doesn’t get the same type of focus as Coinbox, it’s undeniably one of the scene’s most regularly scheduled online weeklies. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the gradual rise to prominence they’d had over the last year.

Commentator of The Year 

First off, I fundamentally think most major-level commentary in Melee is actually very good. At the same time, it makes it quite difficult to pick only five people. If your favorite commentator is not here, I accept whatever reservations you have, but I’d ask you to privately consider who on this list doesn’t deserve their spot.

With Walt, one number stands out: his number of top eights. I examined every single major top eight, per Liquipedia, while also examining a few notable tournaments that barely missed the cut for “major” – and Walt was present at seven of them. Now, it could be possible that a commentator is simultaneously more present and more terrible than everyone else, but this is not the case with Walt. More than other years, he’s adapted his style to match his co-commentators too and maintain a good balance of being chill with professionalism. His block with Brandon at Smash Con especially stands out.

Speaking of which, Brandon, has similarly been active as a commentator. I find this notable because it wasn’t that long ago when it seemed like Brandon wasn’t going to be as present any more. The fact that he’s continued to balance his contributions here with TOing tournaments like BEMI and his GG commitments, continues to blow my mind. When Brandon’s dialed in, his commentary is about the most you can ask for. Who else could come up with taglines like “the Big Dog” for Zain?

I think Toph’s commentary has lately surged to an even higher level over the last year. In my opinion, it’s his newfound ability to get pretty goddamn weird with it. Similar to how Survivor host Jeff Probst followed up his series’ iconic “Blood vs. Water” series with chasing that season’s respective ‘high’ in every follow-up season, I feel like Toph’s version of that was his ultimate call at The Big House 10 for aMSa’s victory. And unlike Probst, who makes me want to gouge my eyeballs out with how insufferable he can be, Toph still remains someone whose commentary I always want to hear. In fact, it was Toph’s willingness to go full nutty at The Off-Season 2 which really stuck with me. At such a strange event, featuring world class players, but a totally ridiculous rule set, Toph’s knowledge of the game’s history, the banned stages themselves, and the players stood out, as did his sense of humor.

This pick may be a surprise considering how relatively new he is to commentary, but I have to say that I’ve enjoyed every time Joshman touched the microphone. I cannot always tell if this is partly me being influenced by the fact he just sounds different from most commentators, but his analysis of the game and sharing of behind-the-scenes details about the players involved is such a golden combination. He actually combines a fair bit of the nerdy bits of commentary with charisma in a fairly extraordinary way.

Long has Chroma been the voice of the “in-too-deep” Smash fan contingent. It shouldn’t be too surprising that  I, a very much in-too-deep guy, have him as nominee. And yet more than his unusual knowledge about players, I’ve taken note of the fact how quick he is on his feet with his co-casters. His Function block with Zane (and Slime) was his best. For reference, one of my favorite bits was Slime asking why he thought Jmook was from New Jersey, and Chroma responding, “because his name is Jake – and he is Italian – and he is cool.”

Content Creator of the Year

In this category, I’m going to talk about content creators, specifically from a non-streamer perspective. I believe it’s only fair to split these categories up from “streamers” to non-streamers, just because it’s easier to treat them as separate forms of content.

The first nominee for this is the one that sadly is no longer present: GG Melee. Before their untimely shutdown, this group of people continued to release regularly scheduled content across all of Smash’s primary social media platforms. Even something as relatively straightforward as the “grid” series showed a commitment that these guys had to always have their finger on the pulse of the scene.

I love Fourside Fights. The game show format is great, it’s a wonderful vehicle to explore the biggest topics in the scene, and it got motherfucking Zooey Zephyr on. Together, Jackzilla, The Cheat, and Chroma have made a show that functions as a weekly recap series for Melee fans, but also one that never takes itself too seriously. It would be so easy for this show to become an empty punditry show for Melee nerds, but it never loses sight of what’s actually interesting and instead has become a place for some really amazing discussions. Full disclosure: I’m a Patron of it, and this is the only Melee related content that my spouse watches with me, so I strongly recommend checking it out.

Nobody can deny the quality of Melee Moments – it’s high effort, it’s analytical, and it’s wonderfully presented. But an underrated strength this content has is also the fact that you can share it with anyone. I wish this channel uploaded more frequently; the last video about The Off-Season 2 was especially great, and even the YouTube Shorts it has uploaded are excellent.

It may seem too soon to include On a Tuesday here, but this podcast is that enjoyable. Together, Mango and Lucky routinely bring on great guests to share some very fun behind-the-scenes stories as well as historical anecdotes from their time in the community. Second disclosure: I am a Patron of this series.

Over the last three years or so, Melee’s seen the rise of many prominent video essayists, and while they’re all good, I ultimately wanted to only pick one of them and I went with Chaler. Whether it’s the standard “documentary” format, his sillier videos, or my personal favorite, his breakdown of Smash’s dominance in the platform genre, I’ve really enjoyed his work. I think it’s been especially great because his personality shines through. He’s funny, self-aware, and passionate about his work.

Streamer of the Year

This award is self-explanatory and goes toward people in the community who stream and, through their streams, have a primary (not necessarily exclusive) focus on content surrounding Melee. This is a category that may be biased toward larger streamers than smaller ones, so perhaps my opinions here should be taken with a grain of salt, but ultimately these are the five I chose.

Let’s start with Mango. Realistically, he should be the streamer of the year for every year, but even just for 2023 alone, I still tune into his channel all the time, either to lurk, troll him about the Eagles, or yell at him (mostly as a joke) about the rankings. But he is undeniably very good at streaming, and even with the long break he had from Melee content, he’s come back to it in a big way, usually in entertaining fashion. If anything, he’s actually been a bit more personal on his streams lately, offering candid thoughts on different community topics.

Although I hate the way that his now-defunct Coinbox series typically kept me up late at night and denied me hours of sleep, I cannot deny that Hungrybox is the king of Smash content, and a large part of it is still related to Melee. Far from the days of me rolling my eyes at his popoffs or commentary, his presentation style had actually come around – within the last year – to entering this post-irony phase of being enjoyable for me. Everything about Coinbox especially, from the fact that it’s just an objectively insane experience that Hungrybox elevates to the next level, is just too crazy to ignore.

He was not always the best streamer, but I genuinely enjoy watching Cody Schwab play Melee on a regular basis with Zain. And in the last year, he’s taken a step forward in his skills as a streamer. Ironically, I think his worst streaming years came when he had sponsors, which, just in my opinion, made him a little risk averse. Nowadays, I think he’s actually leaned into the more colorful elements of his personality – like his intensity and ridiculous sense of humor, but also his sensitive side – way more. It makes for a far more fun viewer experience.

Moky has a lot of potential even outside of his competitive career. As a streamer, he combines this interesting blend of presenting his own awkwardness with a fun sense of humor, vulnerability, and self-recognition. The sick combos are one thing, but even when he doesn’t play Melee, I tune into his streams. He’s got a fun personality that isn’t too gratingly vulnerable – contrary to what I think most people might expect – but also not too soullessly content-minded.

On that note, I do want to mention someone who is so content-pilled that it wraps around to being awesome again: Zamu. I genuinely do not understand how she puts herself through what she willingly chooses to do. Some examples involve fighting Ganondorf on Netplay, putting herself through the gauntlet of Ranked, breaking down the Melee Twitter Discourse of the Week, or watching those horribly trashy and clickbaity “panel” videos on controversial topics. She is funny, she plays great Melee, she talks about whatever is going on in the scene, and she’s almost always streaming every week.

Twitter of the Year

Some of you may consider this the most holy accomplishment any Melee player could have. Others might think that is the dumbest one. I think it’s both. Outside of playing the game itself, Twitter is how most of us interact with the Smash community in any meaningful way. Ergo, I have come up with this very stupid, and yet very sacred award.

I will begin with Justus, the man behind “right wing Melee Stats.” Whether it’s incredible shit-posts, amazing combo videos, the occasional personal update, or him roasting someone for saying something stupid, he is a must-follow for a variety of reasons. How he blends those qualities is really strong, and he has just enough real posts to remain likable without ever being too preachy.

The next person is frankly an annual lock for this guarantee, Fiction. I will not pretend like I am best friends with him or know him in any personal capacity other than whatever few personal interactions we’ve had in person or online, but I absolutely love seeing what he has to say on different Melee topics. I feel like he’s been so reasonable lately as well, and the way he articulates his views is so fascinating and genuinely poignant while also being funny.

For other annually strong Twitter games, you can’t go wrong with meleesadposts. I think their strength really shines in their ability to connect Melee-specific memes to broader audiences. Their twitter combines the best qualities of shitposts with sincerity, irony, and experiences that resonate with Melee players, or at least connect those qualities with the broader state of being online.

bonfire10 has made waves for a long time as a top player within New England, but long has she also been a powerful poster, with this year marking a period of time in which she figuratively has had a few hit singles. Her doubles post especially stands out, as does her consistent hatred of “close-minded casuals” for anything. I initially hesitated on putting bonfire10 on this list because I think her Twitter is sometimes a little mean. Then I realized that was what being on Twitter was all about. I now understand the error of my ways and have decided she is a worthy nominee.

I know I will ruffle a few feathers here with my pick of tafokints as another nominee for this category. It is not necessarily because his Twitter throughout the year was always good, but because it performed a crucial role in the ecosystem of Smash social media. Not since “and it’s not up for debate,” have I seen someone’s Twitter inspire so many strong emotions from people. In moments where Twitter is especially toxic, and in a not-fun way, I think back to when tafokints gleefully played the villain. It united all of us.

Major of the Year

For this category, I wanted to talk about which “majors” of this year I thought were the most special. However, I’m going to intentionally take a broad approach to this term and extend the definition to include some events that don’t necessarily align with the Liquipedia’s definition. I usually don’t do this, so I may actually be, in a sense, contributing to a community-wide confusion we have over this term. Nobody is actually hurt by this though, so I don’t care.

There’s two obvious choices for this category of basically every year, with the first one being Genesis. But even outside of this series’ incredible legacy, the fact that its head organizers still work together and have such a loyal staff speaks volumes to their evolving approach to running the best event. They’re also quite open to experimenting; after years of following in the “all-doubles Day 1” format, they moved back to having Top 4 happen on Sunday. I love that Genesis continue to draw attendance from all eras of the game, stay in tune with NorCal, and remain such a powerful brand in the Smash scene.

To get the second obvious choice out of the year, let’s go with The Big House. What I believe makes this series different from most other majors is its balance of professional ambitions with its grassroots nature. I really love the space it occupies within Michigan and the broader Midwest, and it continues to have this spot while executing fun ideas like the paid seated tables for top eight, chess dot com booths, and board game tables.

I cannot pretend like I’m an objective source on this, as this series is very near and dear to my heart, but Shine is the ultimate player’s experience for every year, and 2023, which marks its last iteration, is no different. The best-of-five starting as early as R2 Pools, the level of Northeast attendance at this event, the draw of top players, the side brackets, and the fact that there’s just so many opportunities to play Melee will forever be its legacy. It is genuinely tragic that this series will no longer be around.

At this point, I’ve been to just about every annual big event – except for Riptide, which is one of my biggest regrets of my time in Smash. From speaking to people who have gone to the tournament, as well as my own thoughts on the space it has within the broader community, I really just think this event does not concern itself with bullshit. This is a Smash tournament in the middle of nowhere attached to a water park, and people from all around the globe routinely attend it because it is that fun.

Collision had long been a series more recognized for its level of importance to Ultimate, but 2023 marked the first time that it would be a Melee major. In many ways, its rise to being one of the biggest events of the year came by accident, as its importance to the scene suddenly scaled in the wake of BTS’s disbandment. I think what made this particular event different from other ones was its very old-school and intimate vibe. Rather than happening in a convention center of a major city, Collision was held in a castle in Parsippany Hills. This led to an interesting environment where you were either playing a lot of Melee in one of a few ballrooms or spending a lot of time with a few people at the hotel bar, in your room, or in a small shared space.

Local of the Year: 

This category is for specific local series within the Smash scene – particularly ones that happen on weekdays. Although it may crossover into other categories, this one I believe is exclusive enough to be its own group.

The rise of Ossify has been a treat to watch throughout the year, as have been the battles he’s had with the likes of KJH – overwhelmingly coming at the Recovery series in Michigan. When I watch weekly Melee or catch up on results, there’s not many Monday tournaments I care as much about as this one.

One of them, however, is the legendary The Cave in Virginia. Although many of its brackets are infuriatingly held on Challonge, rather than startgg, I still love seeing the wealth of rising talent and new generation MDVA stars battle with old ones at The Cave. Whether it’s the dominance of Kevin Maples, the return of mvlvchi, seeing RapM apparently turn into a Top 70 player overnight, or even seeing a sudden appearance of Zain, this local rules.

Another Monday local I love following is the legendary Verdugo series. Verdugo is far more than just Fiction’s experimental chamber for which characters he wants to beat the opposition with. It’s sincerely spawned a very specific, vocal, and colorful culture that represents a new generation of SoCal talent, both in terms of competitors and volunteers for the scene.

Okay, the last Monday local I have to mention – this time for real – is Smash Clock in Minnesota. I was actually surprised by how active this series is. Ben and Preeminent are almost always around, which gives it a routinely interesting top player dynamic, but it also draws out the rest of the power ranked players in fairly regular fashion and is one of the most attended locals in the world. I’m not actually sure how this series goes under the radar, because I didn’t initially think about it, but its level of activity clearly deserves recognition of some kind.

The last member of this category is The Nightclub. Although it’s tempting to go with a sleeper pick here, I really cannot just ignore the largest local in New York City. I love watching top Fox players like Aklo and Chem, I have enjoyed following the rise of regional talent such as Fro116 and Epoodle, and there’s a large number of fun personalities that shine through this series.

Region of the Year

In my opinion, this award is the most important one of the Eggwins. Because this category is so difficult to pin down, I’ve decided to take a representative approach. This category will have a Northeast representative, a West Coast representative, a Midwest representative, a Southern representative, and an international representative. If your region is not represented in this category, I humbly ask that you, at the very least, tell me which one of the following five you think is overrated, and then yell at them instead.

Starting with the Northeast, I’m going to go with New England This region’s consistent level of activity, from its sheer number of locals, to its wealth of growing TO talent and weekly attendance, is genuinely astounding. NGPR routinely is one of the largest local series in the world, the Sconefest series is legendary, the continuation of Mass Madness is amazing, and the final edition of Shine was a fitting farewell for one of the most special majors ever. The fact that I don’t really attend anything speaks more to the fact that I am a boomer with family and personal obligations than any inadequacy of the state. It’s been a joy to witness, even if it has been afar. The incorporation of top players from other states, such as New Hampshire (shout out to SSS) and Connecticut (shout out to Hall of Gaming), among other states, and tournament organizers from them further make this region one that anyone could fall in love with.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Oregon to represent the West Coast. Unlike some of the other choices that I could have gone with here, I think this state’s rise to prominence has actually been pretty shocking. Between how the ASS series remained one of the most active regional series on the West Coast, the rise of a new generation of Melee players like Stiv, and Oregon having its first major in Major Upset, it’s remarkable how much this region took a big step forward.

There’s no point mincing words here – Alabama, and the idea of a bunch of players going there to play Melee was not something that was on anyone’s radar until 2023. And even when it was on people’s radar, it was treated with unfair scrutiny. I hope this is not the case any more, as Santa Paws was one of the coolest tournaments of the year. It was only possible through the vast amount of work put into the local scene, which had gone dormat during the main part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The story of Santa Paws obviously doesn’t begin with the event itself; it begins with TOs running events that people want to attend. Since the end of 2022, when Alabama had its first power rankings in years, it also had its first Arcadian since 2020, and increased travel from players in the region to other events.

For a scene as historic as Michigan, it was still a shock to see the steps forward that it took in 2023. The BODIED series arguably became the Midwest’s hottest regional, as well as one that drew so much out-of-region talent. The Recovery series basically became the breeding ground for the rise of Ossify. Multiple generations of Michigan talent are active, and the region just broadly runs like a well-oiled machine.

My international representative ended up being the United Kingdom. It would be easy to point to Fete 3 as the peak accomplishment, but instead I’m going to go with the actual peak in the PEAK invitational. This event was a blast to watch, from its Summit-esque format to the unique concept of celebrating Professor Pro’s career. Combined with events like Avant la Fete, routine ones like Bristol’s Basement, great locals like Four Quarters Melee, and the variety of sub-regions, I think the UK has one of the healthiest scenes throughout all of Europe.

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