For other articles in the series, see below:
By Brendan "GimmeDatWheat" Malone
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
Very few lights shine brighter than Hax$ at his best, but his compulsive drive to improve ensures that his burnouts are as much an event as his most brilliant moments. Whatever his future may hold, Hax$ grew up in Melee, and if the past is any indicator, all signs point to him spending the rest of his days making sure he never has to spend a moment away from it again.
By Brendan "GimmeDatWheat" Malone
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
It's going to take a while for any top player from New England to fill KoreanDJ's shoes. Although his pursuits outside of Melee limited his ability to remain as involved as some of his peers, it was once reasonable to wonder if he could have possibly won Evo or any of the multiple majors he couldn't attend.
For what it's worth, though, he finished well within the Top 100 for its first two years before retiring for good. Rumor has it that a New England top player - one who shall remain anonymous - was once so excited upon beating KoreanDJ for the first time that they called their father immediately after it happened. Honestly, wouldn't you do the same?
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
Okay, let's get this straight: Isai could've been the best if he tried—don't get it twisted. The Smash 64 GOAT is no stranger to being the best there is at a game, and in brief spurts, he showed that prowess, most notably at MOAST 3, where he and Ken casually laid the bedrock for the Captain Falcon-Marth matchup.
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
Even more impressively, his rise came at a time when many were doubting the character's future in the metagame. As 90 percent of the community seemed ready to call Falcon worse than Pikachu, boom—Wizzrobe destroys Mew2King a few times and he becomes the only Falcon to beat Plup's Sheik at a major. For a brief stretch in mid-2019, you wouldn't have been crazy for wondering if Wizzrobe was actually the best player in the world. It's not too ridiculous to imagine that he could officially have that title one day.
His and Ken's epic trilogy across New York Opener, Dallas and Anaheim remains one of the best in our game's history, and he was able to end this monumental year the same way he started it, with a win at the Vegas Championships. His years after were also impressive, notably with a mind-blowing loser's run to first place at Zero Challenge 3, but the snapshot of PC Chris with a fat $10,000 check is what he'll be most remembered for.
Without question, he's the greatest to ever do it with the rat and probably the greatest dedicated mid-tier player of all-time. His immense win streak against Marth is simply staggering to look at in its entirety and his long, arduous climb to the top of the mountain is maybe the most inspiring story in our game's history. Axe's career will forever be defined by the moment that he finally reached the summit, but never forget the climb that brought him there.
His unparalleled longevity has brought him immense success and wins over the years, sometimes when you least expect it. ChuDat's comeback in the early 2010s, particularly coming with wins on Hungrybox in both 2011 and 2012, seems like a mere precursor to his insane run in 2017, when he beat Mango three times in a row and won Battle of BC 3 over Mew2King.