However, for a year marked by the disappearance of in-person events, 2020 had its fair share of notable events and players in the three months of LAN tournaments. They represent a time that is easily forgotten, one where 2020 represented the hopes of a new year instead of how we now view the year. The following are highlights of this overlooked time, showcasing the breakouts, victories and storylines of Melee’s forgotten year.
At Genesis 7, Zain was able to accomplish what eluded him for the previous year: he was able to finally win a major, edging out players such as Hungrybox and Mang0 to take home the gold.
And it was at Smash Summit 9 only three weeks later where Hungrybox was able to work his way from losers to claim victory at the invitational. It was unclear who would end up as the number one player for the year, but one thing was clear: with this level of strong talent, it wouldn’t come easily.
For Fiction, Melee became a hobby more than a lifestyle, with him only entering a handful of tournaments from 2015 before his return in late 2018. For Hax$, however, it was a more complicated story. With chronic hand issues persisting for most of the past few years, he approached this challenge with a unique solution: creating his own GameCube controller alternative, a Hitbox style controller named the B0xx.
Despite these roadblocks, both players saw success in 2019 with strong placings and many top level wins. Going into 2020, they were able to find new realized potential as bona fide top ten level players. With both players placing top 8 at the two most important events of 2020, Genesis 7 and Smash Summit 9, Hax$ and Fiction were well on their way to prove themselves as top level threats.
Despite Melee being on the better side of twenty years old, each year the community has seen new players etch their name into the storied history of the game. In 2019, nearly thirty players made their debut on the annual top 100, and 2020 was setting up to be no different.
All of these players and events represented what 2020 could’ve been: yet another strong year in the long and exciting history of Super Smash Bros. Melee. And yet, while it’s easy to focus on the year that could have been, Melee has been able to thrive in these circumstances regardless. It’s thanks to the passion of fans and players that we can continue to see Melee in the current day, and when we finally attend in-person events again, a whole new crop of players and storylines will be there waiting for us.