Genesis 6 - Smash Ultimate + Melee
Genesis 6 was Team Liquid’s tournament. Let’s count the awards: 1 Melee Singles 1st place finish, 1 Ultimate player placing 1st in doubles, 2 Melee players placing 2nd in doubles, and an Ultimate Singles finishing in 13th.
Melee Singles promised to be dramatic. Going into the tournament, Genesis was one of the few supermajors Hungrybox hadn’t already won and this was his year to do it. With Armada retiring, Leffen disqualifying himself, and Mew2King focusing on Ultimate, this was Hbox’s year. Hungrybox didn’t disappoint despite tight challenges all through top 16, including a tense 3-2 win over S2J and 3-1 over Westballz.
When the top 8 came, so did the classic Plup-Hungrybox slugfest. Mid-game, the audio cut out from one side of both players headphones, forcing both Plup and Hungrybox to take them out. That opened Hungrybox up to deeply personal jeers from a hostile crowd. The king of clutch came through, powering past the crowd, and mounted a comeback with an offstage gimp game 4 and taking game 5 next with a popoff we’ll never forget.
Axe was the true hidden boss of the tournament, playing Pikachu better than the character has ever been played in Melee. Hungrybox battled Axe in a set so tight it had a timeout and numerous nail-biting endings but in the end, Hungrybox won 3-2. Acknowledging just how well the other had played, the two raised each other’s hands up at the end of set.
Team Liquid destroyed the doubles bracket as well as ChuDat and Hbox only lost to SFAT and PewPewU - the doubles team to beat in Melee. Though they lost in Grand Finals, they beat team PewFat in Winner’s Finals 3-1 showing their Climber-Puff duo can compete with any team.
In Ultimate Doubles, Team Liquid’s Salem teamed with MVG Dark Wizzy. Their Lucina-Mario combo only dropped one set in Grand Finals to a red-hot Marss and Light. Salem’s research led him to a Ganondorf pick that disrupted Marss and Light’s momentum. They won the second set 3-2 and showed that they’re the Ultimate team to beat.
Salem’s success extended to singles as well, taking 13th in a tournament with over 2,000 entrants. Though he got upset by K9sbruce before top 64, he rebounded quickly and made a strong lower bracket run against grueling competition. Salem defeated Seagull Joe, Umeki, Magister, and Larry Lurr before falling to 3-2 to Captain Zack - who had just defeated Ally and Nairo!
Armada also made some waves, placing 97th. While it was below his seeding, he still posted one of the better results for a Melee-turned-Ultimate player, landing next to Mew2King and beating fighting games polyglot Apologyman. He got a well-earned 5th in Melee Teams as well, showing he’s a threat in old and new games alike.