For other articles in the series, see below:
CaptainJack remained an international threat for many years after, as he occasionally traveled to both Europe and Australia to take on many of their best players - years before we'd ever have a truly connected scene.
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
However, my personal favorite PewPewU moment came in singles, when he outdueled SFAT in an incredible 14-game marathon to win the 10 year anniversary Wombo Combo tournament. Upon coming out on top, PewPewU, unsurprisingly, embraced his best friend.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
In every facet of the game, Chillin is truly top of the line. If "My B" proves anything, it's that he can even turn a loss into an incredible win.
By Zane "Epengu" Bhansali
Great players reveal the borders of our game; incredible players make it clear those borders don’t exist. At Westballz’s best, he threw the limits of Falco so far to the horizon that we couldn’t see them anymore.
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
One especially overlooked accomplishment, however, is that from 2007 to 2020, Lucky finished at least Top 10 within SoCal - 14 years of being considered among the best players in Melee's most historic region. This is a place where winning any of its weeklies used to be considered accomplishments right under winning majors, and Lucky's done that numerous times across multiple eras. No matter what year it is, he's going to be someone to look out for; an undeniable legend of the game.
Scour the ancient internet, and you'll find a video from 2008 titled "Hey Hugs," a "combo" video of Evo 2007's runner-up that's mostly just him slowly winning neutral. Cute, you think, but no way a player like this could keep up in today's blindingly fast, punish-heavy metagame, let alone as Samus.
He started playing this game at dozen-player locals held in SoCal garages, losing to Ken's sister, and now you can catch him commentating events as a Big 4-accountant-turned-content creator, burgeoning Rally mogul, and legend of the game. Who could've imagined?
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
If you're wondering why iBDW is so high in spite of a relatively short career, it's that winning Riptide made him the newest member to Melee's pantheon of major champions. This is an extraordinary accomplishment that should never be underlooked in the context of assessing all-time legacies.
Sidenote: it's worth noting what a shining example iBDW sets for what a dedicated top player looks like. Breaking long-established community precedent of top players dodging their hardest opponents in friendlies, iBDW instead goes out of his way to grind matches with his toughest peers. If you've been following his stream, you'll know that he sometimes chases down potential rivals just to kick them into shape.
By Anokh "EdwinBudding" Palakurthi
His success isn't just a byproduct of character unfamiliarity either. Today, more mid-level Yoshis have entered the playing field and given his rivals more experience against the character. Meanwhile, aMSa, who doesn't get consistent practice against top players at all, beats Mango, one of the best players in the world, at Smash Summit 11 on his first try since the start of the pandemic. Imagine what we'll say if aMSa ever finally wins a major.