If there's one word to describe the storied Genesis tournament series, it would be "big". Genesis 1 and 2 brought the biggest entrant numbers of their time, big matches, big moments, and a big rivalry: Mango vs. Armada. This weekend, Genesis 3 only looks to continue that trend. With over 1,800 entrants for Melee, all of the Melee gods, 74 of Melee It On Me's 2015 Top 100, and more, Genesis 3 will be a tournament that will go down in history. Here's everything you need to know about Melee at Genesis 3 this weekend.
Battle of the Gods
Genesis 3 will be the first tournament since Apex 2015 to have all 5 of the gods in attendance - Armada, Hungrybox, Mango, Mew2King, and PPMD.
Photo by Robert Paul (@tempusrob)
Firstly, Armada is looking to claim his second Genesis title. The Beast from Sweden won Genesis 2 nearly 4 and half years ago, beginning his stretch of dominance before his short-lived retirement. Armada had an incredible 2015, with a winning record over every player in Melee, and consistently at the throne, if not, very close. However, it was Hungrybox who had the last laugh over Armada at DreamHack Winter, where the Puff main won 2 sets against Armada to close out the tournament. Armada was generally dominant over Mango, Mew2King, and PPMD in 2015, but previous sets have shown that the American gods can go head to head with Armada. Nevertheless, Armada is still one of the likely favorites to win Genesis 3. His unmatched consistency against the non-gods and gods alike will give him an easy ride to far in the bracket.
Photo by Benjamin Cotton/DreamHack©
The DreamHack champion Hungrybox is looking strong going into Genesis. He had a historic win over Armada at DreamHack, and sustained a 2-2 record against Mango in 2015 -- a matchup that has historically been heavily in Mango’s favor. Furthermore, he dominated Mew2King in 2015 and he had a decisive 3-0 against PPMD the only time they played in 2015. One of the key factors to Hungrybox’s success at DreamHack was his coach Lewis aka Captain Crunch, who helped him make adjustments between game and sets, and helped keep Hungrybox in a winning mindset. However, with coaching banned at Genesis 3, this will be Hungrybox’s time to prove himself as the best, all by him self.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
The GOAT, the Buster, the Kid -- the American favorite Mango is a man of many names, and he is looking to add “Genesis 3 Champion” to that list. The Genesis series was the very series that kickstarted Mango’s historic rivalry against Armada. Mango won Genesis 1 while Armada won Genesis 2, making Genesis 3 a tiebreaker. However, Mango will have many challenges in his way before he can beat Armada to win the tournament. Although he had strong showings at Paragon LA and Smash Summit, Mango still had a relatively poor second half of 2015. Mango has recently expressed that he may play solo Falco, however, the Falco ditto may still be an issue as shown by his loss to Westballz at DreamHack. Additionally he is likely less experienced in the Falco-Puff matchup compared to the Fox-Puff matchup. But if there is one thing Mango has to say, it is that “Thou shall never sleep on The Kid.”
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Mew2King had a generally rocky 2015, filled with highs and lows. He had a slow start to the year until tournaments such as Smash @ Pax, Paragon LA, The Big House 5, and Smash Summit, where he was able to defeat Hungrybox, Leffen, and Mango in the process. His biggest challenges at Genesis 3 will be Armada and Hungrybox, who both gave Mew2King lots of trouble in 2015. For Mew2King to reach new heights at Genesis 3, he will have to overcome his demons and be well prepared. However, Mew2King has recently said on social media that he may not be fully ready for Genesis 3 due to his focus on Smash 4 and his ongoing hand pains.
Photo by Robert Paul (@tempusrob)
PPMD is usually a wild card going into major tournaments, and Genesis 3 is no exception. It is well known how high PPMD’s peaks can be as shown by his Apex 2015 run, but the good doctor had a more disappointing performance at Smash Summit, where he lost to Plup for 5th. Despite this, he still managed to take a game from Armada under his poor health conditions. Fortunately, PPMD recently announced that his health is becoming better, which will likely improve his play for Genesis 3.
All of America’s Best
Being a national, Genesis 3 will feature nearly all of the best from the USA. Here are just some regions and their players to look for.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Considered by many to be the strongest region in America, SoCal will be coming in full force to Genesis 3. Aside from Mango, Westballz will be leading the pack after ending 2015 on a high note after placing 4th at DreamHack Winter, and solid 2nd place at Forte 3. This past weekend he won a stacked Super Smash Sundays over Lucky, S2J, MacD, and more. In the past, Westballz was generally more inconsistent at larger tournaments, but his recent results are suggesting that Genesis 3 will be different. Lucky will also be joining the SoCal crew after a successful 2015. He rung in the new year with a tournament win at Mayhem over Westballz and S2J, putting himself on the path for success at Genesis 3. Known for his speedy and stylish Falcon, S2J is looking strong coming in to Genesis 3. Although he lost to Android at DreamHack Winter for 13th place, S2J had deep runs at The Big House 5 and #SmashTheRecord2015, showing that he can assert dominance with Falcon. MacD made big improvements with his Peach in 2015 and he only looks to continue that in 2016, starting with Genesis 3. He had a great run at DreamHack Winter, finishing at 7th after beating Axe, HugS, and Amsah. Finally, HugS is looking to start off 2016 with a bang. The veteran Samus main had one of his best years in 2015, staying consistent while beating many top names in the process. He had a good run at DreamHack Winter 3-0ing Android and nearly beating MacD, finishing at 13th place. Some more SoCal talent to look out for includes Fiction, Mike Haze, Ken, Alex19, Santiago, Matt, Kira, Squid, Reno, CDK, Sung, OkamiBW, A Rookie, LuigiKid, and Bizzarro Flame.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Defending their home region is NorCal and their very dense talent pool. NorCal’s top three of Shroomed, SFAT, and PewPewU are all looking strong coming into Genesis 3. Shroomed was extremely consistent in 2015, placing top 8 at nearly every major tournament he went to coupled with wins over Mango, Mew2King, Plup, Westballz, and Axe. He recently made top 8 at DreamHack Winter, beating his fellow NorCal resident SFAT and taking a game from Armada in the process. Although he would probably not like to talk about his DreamHack performance, SFAT bounced back very quickly back in America, getting a sponsorship from CLG. After DreamHack, he won a SSS over Westballz and PewPewU, and Oakland’s Very Own over Shroomed. Similar to Shroomed, SFAT often makes top 8, and Genesis 3 will further test his consistency. Rounding out the trio is PewPewU, who was more inactive in second half of 2015. Although he was generally consistent with wins over the likes of Hungrybox, Westballz, and Lucky to boot, PewPewU has yet to make top 8 at a supermajor. Could Genesis 3 be his time to break top 8? Aside from Shroomed, SFAT, and PewPewU, some more NorCal players to watch out for include Lord, Laudandus, Fruitloop, Kalamazhu, HomeMadeWaffles, Phil, SilentSpectre, Ralph, Azusa, Darrell, Tang, L, Dr. Z, gaR, Alan, Germ, NMW, and a determined Bobby Scar looking to prove that he did indeed get 5th at Genesis.
Photo by Robert Paul (@tempusrob)
Bring their all as always is Florida, whose top talent made large strides in 2015. Most notably there is Plup, who had an incredible breakout year after in 2015 after switching mains to Sheik. He is generally considered #7 in the world and for a good reason. He had a great run at DreamHack Winter, placing 3rd after beating Mango, Westballz, and Duck. With the Samus turned Sheik being in practice again, Genesis 3 is shaping out to be another great tournament for Plup. In addition, there is Colbol, who had a bit more of a shaky year in 2015 compared to his 2014. He picked up a Marth secondary for spacies, which has helped him beat Lucky twice and nearly won him a set against Westballz. If Genesis 3 is anything like Colbol’s last trip to NorCal, Colbol is set for success. Along with the rest of the 20GX crew, Wizzrobe continues to push Captain Falcon to his limits. The young Falcon ended up at 13th at DreamHack Winter after losing a 3-1 set to Armada and a close 3-2 set with Duck. Also from the 20GX crew is Gahtzu, who had a good 2015 overall. While his relatively poor supermajor results may foreshadow his Genesis run, Gahtzu had his moments of brilliance, highlighted with wins over MacD and The Moon at Super Smash Con. Aside from these four and Hungrybox, other top Florida players at Genesis 3 include ESAM, Porkchops, Drunksloth, and uuaa.
Photo by Robert Paul (@tempusrob)
The relatively quiet region of the Southwest will coming with all their best. Fan favorite Axe had a great 2015 overall, filled with highs and lows. He was quite consistent throughout the year, with The Big House 5 and Smash Summit being an exception. He had wins over Leffen, Mew2King, and Mango, and he nearly did the unimaginable coming close to close to beating Armada. That being said, Axe will need a good bracket to succeed at Genesis 3, as he struggled with top Sheiks and Peaches in 2015 such as Shroomed and MacD. Joining Axe from the Southwest is the fan favorite Ice Climbers player Wobbles. He had a fantastic run at Forte 3 in December, where he beat out Westballz and SFAT to defend Texas. His play at Forte 3 showed that he could play at the top again, and Genesis 3 will be his tournament to show that Forte 3 wasn’t a fluke. Additionally, other top Southwest talent at Genesis 3 includes Tai, Medz, and Arc.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
The Midwest made a splash at The Big House 5 and they will be looking to do the same at Genesis 3. Duck had a great end to his 2015 by placing 5th at DreamHack Winter after a long loser’s run where he beat Leffen, SFAT, MacD, and Wizzrobe. However, he has not had the same success back at home, losing to players such as Kels and KJH. Fan favorite Luigi main Abate had an incredible run at The Big House 5 and he will be looking to replicate his success this weekend. Although he hasn’t done much since then, he showed at The Big House 5 that his Luigi is a serious threat. Joining Duck from Michigan is KJH, a Fox main who improved immensely in 2015. He also had a great run at The Big House 5, placing 17th. Additionally, he has recently been beating Duck multiple times, showing his potential to stay at the top. The third player of the Michigan trio is Prince Abu, who rose to become arguably the #2 Jigglypuff main in 2015. He has remained fairly consistent since his strong 25th place at The Big House, bar his recent performance at SWEET XXI were he lost to Drephen. At the MLG World Finals 2015, Prince Abu made top 8 after an impressive win over Chillin. Lastly, Darkatma will be looking to continue his success from The Big House 5 where he placed 17th after relatively mediocre national placings earlier in 2015. More Midwestern top threats include 4%, Vro, Drephen, Ginger, Captain Faceroll, Triple R, and Beach.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Many of the East Coast’s best will be coming to Genesis. Hailing from New York is the Grab n’ Go duo consisting of DJ Nintendo and The Moon. The Moon had a good 2015, finishing off the year by winning Kings of the North 4 and SMASH INTENSIFIES 2 over players such as Professor Pro, Kage the Warrior, Kels, and Prince Abu. If The Moon gets a bracket free of more obscure matchups that he typically struggles with, he could make a deep run at Genesis 3. DJ Nintendo was quite consistent in 2015, making 25th at all nationals he attended and netting impressive wins at smaller tournaments. He has been playing more Pikachu recently in addition to his Fox. The Electric Rat may just be what needs to get that much further at Genesis 3. Team Smash Practice comprised of Zhu and Cactuar will also be heading to Genesis 3. Towards the end of 2015, Zhu began to play his secondary Sheik more, which helped him finish 17th at HTC Throwdown and The Big House 5. However, it was his Falco that brought him the most success at Smash Summit where nearly beat Axe. Cactuar also picked up a new character in 2015 in the form of his Marth, which defeated S2J and Wizzrobe and HTC Throwdown. With his Fox and Marth combination, Genesis 3 is shaping out to be another successful tournament for Cactuar. From MD/VA there is Nintendude and Chillin. Nintendude was generally consistent in 2015 placing top 16 at nearly every major tournament he went to. If he can get a Peach-free bracket, another top 16 placement will be likely for Nintendude. Chillin had somewhat of a rough year in 2015, where his infamous loss to Leffen started a downward trend of poor national placements. However, the long-time Fox main was able to bounce back at The Big House 5, where he placed 17th. Finally, there is Swedish Delight from New Jersey. Swedish Delight improved tremendously in 2015 and he will be looking to continue that growth in 2016, starting with Genesis 3. He solidified himself as a top 35 player and one of the top Sheiks with consistent placing in Tri-State and a fantastic 13th place run at The Big House 5, where he beat Westballz and Zhu. Some more threats from the East Coast to watch out for include Slox, Redd, Dizzkidboogie, Zanguzen, Swiftbass, Mafia, Azen, Captain Smuckers, Milkman, Cyrain, and G$.
Just north of California are some top players from Washington that will be looking to make waves at Genesis 3. Leading them is Silent Wolf and his technical Fox, who made many fans after his incredible performances at HTC Throwdown and Northwest Majors: Dropzone. He managed to take sets from Mew2King, Shroomed, and DruggedFox in the process, and his sets against DruggedFox at NWM: DZ show some of his true potential. If Silent Wolf can match the level of play he had at those tournaments, top 8 may be likely for him. Joining Silent Wolf is Bladewise, generally considered the #3 Peach main in the world. Although he was just shy of top 8 at the MLG World Finals 2015, his more unorthodox Peach should net him the same great results he had all year in 2015. Additionally, keep an eye out for Vish, Chip, Iceman, Ka-Master, eBay, and Vino.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Lastly, there is the deep South. Their top player DruggedFox had a breakout year in 2015, placing 9th at EVO 2015, 1st at Tipped Off 11, and 4th at HTC Throwdown, beating Mango, Lucky, Ice, Duck, S2J, Javi, Wizzrobe, and SFAT in the process. However, DruggedFox has said that he will go all Falco at Genesis 3 instead of his well-known Sheik. His Falco did manage to take 5th at Michigan Seasonal Series: Winter, but he did sustain losses to Ginger and Prince Abu there. Genesis 3 will be the first major for DruggedFox's Falco, and without his Sheik, his results may suffer.
International Challengers
America will not be the only country bringing their all to Genesis, as top talent from all across the world will be competing at Genesis 3. Here are some of the top international threats to look out for.
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Photo by Thomas Tischio (@TischPhotos)
Teams: PokéPals, Gods, CLG, and more
Other top teams at Genesis 3 include Mango/S2J, Shroomed/Alan, Grab n' Go (DJ Nintendo/The Moon), Westballz/Gahtzu, Lucky/Reno, Colbol/Wizzobe, Zhu/Cactuar, Nintendude/Bladewise, Ice/Overtriforce, Duck/KJH, KirbyKaze/Ryan Ford, n0ne/Alex19, Swedish Delight/Slox, Ken/Santiago, Wobbles/Taj, Abate/Vudujin, Javi/Twin, Eddy Mexico/Bimbo Mexico, Prince Abu/Kalamazhu, Chillin/Azen and Darkatma/Fruitloop.
Streams/Schedule/Brackets
Genesis 3 will be a viewing spectacle with high quality stream content for all three days, starting on Friday, January 15th, and ending on Sunday, January 17th. All of the Melee at Genesis 3 will be streamed on ShowdownSmash and ShowdownSmash2. To keep up with the brackets, go to smashgg. The schedule is here:
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