Hi Nick,
You know, I'm not sure I do remember you, actually...your name sure rings a bell. By John and Chris are you speaking of the great Jon Zimmerman? And I've known a lot of Chris's in my time, but could that be the mighty Chris Wong? Or the inimitable and wacky Chris Broughton perhaps?
In any case, to answer your question, I was actually one of the cynics about the Brawl engine and was quite disappointed with how the game had been simplified, dumbed-down and slowed-down from the brilliance of Melee. So, I don't really play Brawl that much and kinda fell out of the competitive scene as a result.
However, Melee is beginning to show more competitive light once again and it's possible that I might make an appearance in that department once again. I've thought about hosting a tournament for quite some time and I'm almost in a postition where I might be able to afford to do it, so we'll see and I can ensure that you'll hear about it.