This weekend was full of many smaller events in preparation for Smash N Splash next week, and housed many interesting results. PewPewU won Emerald City 8 in the Northwest, but the true stars were European Fox main Pricent and the #2 in Oregon, Aura. Pricent was able to defeat Bladewise, while Aura went on a tear through NMW, Tai, Bladewise and Ka-Master. Just a bit further south, Westballz won Fight For SoCal V, while MikeHaze seems to finally be back to form, defeating ARMY, Faceroll and Fiction twice. In Georgia, Hungrybox won Momocon with little resistance besides a scare from the rapidly improving Bobby Big Ballz, but the true story was Forrest, the former MrLz, who defeated Colbol in decisive fashion en route to a strong 2nd place. Frenzy from the UK showed up in the Midwest ahead of SnS, getting 2nd at LRA Start #2 and taking a set off of Rik. Finally, a pair of tourneys in the Tri-State area, Major Flavor and Concrete Throwdown, occured. Hax$ was able to win both, dropping a set to Long Island hidden boss Foxy Grandpa at the latter, but the true stories were Clutch and Panos at the former tournament. Panos was able to get 2nd, defeating Slox and Zealous5000, while Clutch had the run of his life, tearing through lintgod, Jflex, Slox and Zealous5000 to get an incredible 3rd place.

1.Smash N Splash 5

Smash N Splash has been a prestigious tourney for the Melee scene since its 3rd entry, and has quickly become the second largest Midwest tourney of the year, behind only The Big House. With tons of top talent, over 800 entrants, and a Summit spot on the line, there’s a ton to look forward to heading into this major.

Hungrybox is looking to re-establish himself as the best in the world after a shaky post-crab career. Mango is trying to keep his current momentum going after winning his first major in nearly two years, a drought that nearly lasted as long as his self-imposed Scorpion Master phase. Leffen, after an impressive return to form at GOML, is now back into Melee fully, and is looking to prove why he’s considered one of the greats, while Plup is aiming to get out of his recent funk and stop his downward trend.

On the tier just below, Zain is looking to show the world that he can win another major, and with Axe nowhere in sight, this could be the tourney to do it. Wizzrobe is once again back in action after earning his Summit spot at GOML, and is looking to show even better results this time. The rest of the top players are aiming to also make a name for themselves, with a coveted Summit spot on the line for players like SFAT, PewPewU, Bananas, Fiction and more.

What are my thoughts? Well, I think this will be the tournament, sadly, where Hungrybox re-establishes himself with a hardfought win from loser’s. Though I won’t lie, another winner to make this race for #1 even more interesting would be a treat. I also think that SFAT will earn the Summit Spot for this tournament.

2.Smash Summit 8

Speaking of Summit, the race for spots is in full swing! When this is released, the 3rd player to get it on votes will be announced in just a few hours, though Spud and Trif have already clinched it. I for one am rooting for my fellow Tri-state player, iBDW, but that is neither here nor there. This Summit is shaping up to be exciting, with tons of international representation, and I personally can’t wait! Vote for who you want and watch those numbers fly!

3.Monday Morning Mailbag

Time for the mailbag!

“Obviously HBox is still the 1 seed, but how many times would mango have to outplace him to take it? I reckon if Mango ties or slightly outplaces HBox at one of SnS or Summit and wins the other he’s the new number 1.” -thegrooseisloose18

I’m of the opinion that if Hbox falters at both SnS and Summit, his #1 is seriously in jeopardy. If Mango outperforms him at both tournaments, I would have to agree that Mango is the better player.

“GOML was another strong showing for Qerb – do you think he now has the resume to be top 100?” -RewinD157

I’ve been a big fan of Qerb for years now, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that he’s having such a phenomenal year so far. I definitely think he is easily Top 100 with the field as of now, and if he keeps up his consistency, we could see the first Game n Watch main in the Top 100 ever.

“Who wins a Melee major first: M2K, PP, or Armada? I suppose none of them is also a valid answer.” -YoUDee

PPMD will be back, and he’ll rock your socks off.

And that’s it for today’s Monday Morning Marth! I’m still trying to find my voice, so I played it a bit safe last time, but this one was definitely more my speed. Hope you all enjoyed it!