Imo, your idea of "cheap" is very subjective and depends on what the individual perceives as "fun". If you want to get technical, in Melee's list of accomplishments you achieve in like the classic mode, the game gives you a point multiplier of like 2000 or something for "edgehogging" the opponent. "Edgehog", being the term the game itself calls when you hold the ledge from the opponent. I could very easily make the argument that since the game rewards you for edgehogging, by choosing not to do it, you're actually going against the developers' intent and actually choosing to play the game the "wrong" way (or the "anti-casual way", in your own way of saying things). But then, we'll get into a pointless argument and this thread will somehow devolve into a Brawl vs Melee argument, you'll probably never visit Smashboards again, and we'll just make ourselves look dumb.
Instead of going through all of that, might I suggest putting the bigger picture into perspective?
The reason why any person plays Smash, casually or competitively is to have "fun". Now, there are many people out there, especially on the Internet, who seem to have a PhD in "Fun" and seem to know everything about how "fun" works and can dictate to others what "fun" is and isn't because they're a professional on the subject. If you happen to be in this train of thought, I suggest you step off the train before it heads off a cliff. "Fun" is what is set by the individual and those that think like him/her. Casuals play Smash because it's the funniest thing in the world when Mario loses to Luigi because a bob-omb fell on his head on the Mushroom Kingdom stage. Competitive players play Smash the way they do because they like the edgehogging, the gimps, the chain grabs, etc. To you, it may be the most cheap thing in the world but to me, when I 0-death Fox on FD with Marth in Melee or get 100% off of a down throw tech chase with Snake, I can't tell you how exited that makes me feel, so I continue to play the game.
Maybe you think we're crazy. Maniacs, even. And I'd even be inclined to say that we are. But it's not because of how we play the game: It's because of our passion for it and our desire to get better and meet new friends along the way, even after 12 years.
So I'd like to take the time to ask if you could perhaps set aside your grievances for now, and learn what there is to learn about this community from a neutral perspective. You may be surprised at the things you discover. You may even go to your first tournament one day (of which there are MANY in California). Regardless of what you do with Smash in the future, for now and forever welcome to the Smash community.
go to the tourney's facebook.