Over the course of Super Smash Bros. Melee’s competitive history, premier tournament series have been integral in creating storylines and setting the framework for the game’s future. Very few series can claim to have the impact of Genesis; from the "rest heard around the world" to the magical tiebreaker between Joseph “Mango” Marquez and Adam “Armada” Lindgren at Genesis 3, Northern California’s largest event has never had a shortage of hype. This weekend (January 20-22), the series continues with Genesis 4 in San Jose, California where the stakes will be higher than ever before as 80 players from SSBMRank 2016 and more compete among over 1,700 entrants for the title of Genesis champion. Here’s Smashboards’ comprehensive viewer’s guide for Genesis 4, including the major storylines and stream information.
Stream Information
Here are the key details for those viewing Genesis 4 from home:
- Commentator List
- Brackets
- Streams to follow: VGBootCamp, TeamSp00ky and TukHouseSmash
- Stream schedule:
Day 1 (Friday, January 20)
Time (PT)
|
Event
|
Stream
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Singles/Doubles Round 1 Pools | TeamSp00ky
10:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m | The Melee Games Collegiate Crew Battles | VGBootCamp
2:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m | Draft Crews | VGBootCamp
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Draft Crews Finals | VGBootCamp
10:00 p.m. | End of Day 1 | ---
Day 2 (Saturday, January 21)
Time (PT)
|
Event
|
Stream
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Melee Side Stream (alternating with Smash Wii U) | TukHouseSmash
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Melee Doubles up to Top 4 | VGBootCamp
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Melee Singles Top 64 | VGBootCamp
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Melee Singles up to Top 8 | VGBootCamp
10:00 p.m. | End of Day 2 | ---
Day 3 (Sunday, January 22)
Time (PT)
|
Event
|
Stream
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Melee Doubles Top 4 | VGBootCamp
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Melee Singles Top 8 | VGBootCamp
9:00 p.m. | Ceremony | VGBootCamp
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Singles/Doubles Round 1 Pools | TeamSp00ky
10:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m | The Melee Games Collegiate Crew Battles | VGBootCamp
2:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m | Draft Crews | VGBootCamp
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Draft Crews Finals | VGBootCamp
10:00 p.m. | End of Day 1 | ---
Day 2 (Saturday, January 21)
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Melee Side Stream (alternating with Smash Wii U) | TukHouseSmash
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Melee Doubles up to Top 4 | VGBootCamp
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Melee Singles Top 64 | VGBootCamp
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | Melee Singles up to Top 8 | VGBootCamp
10:00 p.m. | End of Day 2 | ---
Day 3 (Sunday, January 22)
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Melee Doubles Top 4 | VGBootCamp
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Melee Singles Top 8 | VGBootCamp
9:00 p.m. | Ceremony | VGBootCamp
Mango vs. Armada: The Genesis Classic
There’s nothing quite like a Mango vs. Armada Genesis grand finals set. Sitting on top of the Melee world for what has nearly been almost eight years, the two have managed to meet at the end of every Genesis tournament. Genesis 1 gave birth to their legendary rivalry, Genesis 2 was their heated rematch, Genesis 3 was the perfect celebration of their storied history and now, Genesis 4 could potentially be the time Armada completes the “three-peat” (winning Genesis three consecutive times) or Mango ties up the Genesis win count. However, the road to grand finals will by no means be easy for either of them with fellow “Big 6” members Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman and William “Leffen” Hjelte in attendance. Nevertheless, Armada has cemented himself as the favorite to win the tournament after a dominant end of 2016. Meanwhile, Mango is aiming for a fresh start with Daniel "Tafokints" Lee as his coach in order to rebound from his disappointing 13th place finish at UGC Smash Open. The Genesis classic may very well live on this weekend.
Speaking of Hungrybox, Mew2King and Leffen…
While many fans will be hoping for a Mango-Armada grand finals at Genesis 4, it’s important not to count out Hungrybox, Mew2King and Leffen.
Firstly, Hungrybox will be looking to prove his status as a top 2 player despite his untimely finger injury. Though his performance at Smash Conference LXIX, where he was swept by Mew2King and Wizzrobe, signals that he may not be at his best at Genesis 4, Hungrybox still has the potential to go far if can adjust to the cast on his right index finger.
Meanwhile, Mew2King has lots of momentum on his side this weekend. He finished off 2016 with one of his greatest runs in his career at UGC Smash Open, where he beat Armada, Hungrybox, Leffen, Mango, n0ne, SFAT, Ice and Duck for 2nd place. If Mew2King can come in with the same confidence he displayed at UGC and Smash Conference LXIX, where he won the tournament by defeating Wizzrobe, SFAT and Hungrybox, Genesis 4 could be his time to shine.
Finally, Leffen is a wild card of sorts at Genesis 4. Ever since he received his US visa, he has been looking better each time we've seen him, ending off his 2016 by winning Don’t Park On The Grass over Hungrybox. Leffen clearly has the potential to dominate on any given day as shown by his GOML 2016 win back in May 2016 – can that same player show up this weekend?
The “Demigod” Factor
Between premier tournaments such as Genesis 3, EVO 2016 and The Big House 6 last year, multiple players outside the “Big 6” have managed to give the very best in Melee a run for their money. There is a strong chance more of the same will happen at Genesis 4 with Justin “Plup” McGrath, Zac “SFAT” Cordoni, Weston “Westballz” Dennis, Jeffrey “Axe” Williamson and many more in attendance. Returning from his pre-Genesis break with a tournament win at NorCal Validated last weekend over SFAT and PewPewU, Plup has good shot at causing upsets this weekend given his numerous wins over Hungrybox, Mew2King and Mango in 2016. On the other hand, SFAT has already rung in the New Year with a winners' bracket victory over Mew2King at Smash Conference LXIX. Additionally, while they can be hot or cold, fan favorites Westballz and Axe can easily go head to head with the best on a good day. These four players are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Genesis 4’s surplus of top talent, so be sure check out the rest of the attendees on smashgg.
Can PewFat Defend Their Home Turf?
2016 was perhaps the best year in Melee history for doubles play, and Genesis 4 will be looking to carry that success with a very stacked lineup of teams.
Hometown heroes and CLG representatives PewFat (Kevin "PewPewU" Toy and SFAT) are arguably the favorites to win it all this weekend. Their résumé in 2016 was impeccable, and with big wins in the past 4 months at The Big House 6, UGC Smash Open and Don’t Park On The Grass, PewFat has strong chance of protecting their home region of NorCal.
Armada and Android will be looking to take their first victory at a supermajor tournament since The Big House 5. Their synergy and punish game is top-notch, and considering their strong runs at The Big House 6 and UGC Smash Open, they could take home the gold this weekend.
In spite of the fact that they hadn't competed in North America for nearly two years, Leffen and Ice proved themselves as one of the best duos in the world in late 2016, where they nearly won UGC Smash Open and went head to head with PewFat at Don't Park On The Grass.
The double god pairing of Hungrybox and Mew2King will be looking to rebound from their relatively disappointing 2016. Their individual skill is nothing to scoff at, but for Hungrybox/Mew2King to win Genesis 4, their teamwork will have to be on par with teams such as PewFat and Team UGS.
There will be many more top level teams at Genesis 4, such as Mango/Johnny "S2J" Kim and Plup/Axe, who both have multiple high level sets wins, making Genesis a must-watch for Melee enthusiasts .
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