Genesis 3: January 15-17, 2016 © Genesis 3

It's been said before, but it bears repeating: Super Smash Brothers Melee, a game nearly 15 years old, is no longer confined by its grassroots beginnings. The Nintendo fighter which started relatively small has grown and expanded into a current staple of both eSports and pop culture.

2015 was the most exciting year for Melee yet. Nearly every weekend held a tournament stacked with top players and tougher competition than any year before it, infused with the most money the game has ever seen. Several new players rose, eager to break the stronghold that the “ Five Gods ” had so meticulously crafted. The season was also one of visibility, with many notable sponsors picking up top players, Melee getting its own invitational at Smash Summit , and Twitter acknowledging some of eSports’ top teams (including some Melee players) with the coveted verified checkmark.

With the 2015 season concluding on a high note at Melee’s first DreamHack in Sweden, it is only fitting that 2016 will open with Genesis 3, a legendary tournament series full of significant moments which have shaped the Melee scene into what it is today.

What is it about Genesis that makes it a breeding ground for some of Melee’s most compelling storylines? Like Melee itself, the sum of Genesis’ parts opened the doors to several unexpected surprises. The first of these catalysts were none other than influential Northern California Melee crew DBR.

Known for producing one of the first combo video series, DBR was also the force behind creating and running Genesis. If any other entity attempted this venture during this time period, it may not have had the same weight or impact. The crew had already established a strong brand presence within the community, which made Genesis the can’t-miss tournament of the season.

The event came at a time when major tournaments were sparse. Prior to Genesis, there were only two other U.S. majors since 2008, with the last U.S. national (Revival of Melee) only gathering 136 entrants. To host Genesis in Antioch, California, and break the previous Melee only attendance record of 256 (Melee-FC Diamond 2007) with a 290-Smasher showing was nothing short of magic.

Over 350 people were at the Genesis venue in July of 2009. But the real magic began with just two players.

Mango is a main character in the Genesis saga © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

The Changing of the Guard, and a New Threat

2009 was an interesting time for Melee. The Melee scene was in the midst of recovering from the 2008 Super Smash Brothers Brawl release, segmented and dwindling in tournament attendance. After Ken Hoang’s retirement in late 2007, Joseph “Mango” Marquez emerged as the new American top talent of Melee. His confident and raw momentum based style proved too much for his foes to handle, earning him major wins at Pound 3 and Revival of Melee. Mango was easily the man to beat going into Genesis, and only a handful of players had any chance of beating him.

This was also an era where the possibility of anyone threatening the smash dominance of the U.S. seemed unlikely, especially after Ken had defeated Japan’s strongest players in 2005 at the Japanese Jack Garden tournament. Top out-of-country talent had the possibility of placing within the Top 20 at a U.S. major tournament — but top three? Highly unlikely.

That was, until a Capri-wearing Swedish kid known for being the best player in Europe decided to head to Genesis.

At the time, Armada was a largely unknown threat © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Genesis was the first U.S. national where Adam “Armada” Lindgren faced competition outside of Europe. Like Mango, Armada was placing within the Top 5 at European majors in 2007, and like Mango, he also had his breakthrough in 2008-2009, placing first at SMASH ATTACK and Epita Smash Arena 3. With similar uprisings, the two were on a collision course and didn’t even know it, though Armada would have to conquer many obstacles (such as playing on NTSC instead of PAL) to face his destined rival.

The American crowd had heard about Armada prior to Genesis, but the expectation of him placing Top 3 was an opinion of the minority. This would soon change as he clawed his way through the Winners bracket of the tournament, taking out prevalent names such as Joey “Lucky” Aldama , Bronson “DaShizWiz” Layton, and even Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman. All three of those sets went the distance, but Armada found the key to victory each time by Game 3. After Armada’s victory over Mew2King in Winners Semis, the stage was set for one of the most storied rivalries in Melee history: Mango vs. Armada.

Genesis was the first meeting between the two gods © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object

What people love most about the Mango-Armada rivalry is that it is a high octane barn burner every time these two face off against each other. Armada’s ability to adapt to anything and Mango’s ability to innovate inconceivable options at the drop of a hat resulted in matches that singlehandedly advanced the metagame.

Up until this point, no Melee player outside of the United States had placed within the Top 3 at an American national tournament since the MLG performances of Japanese legend Captain Jack in 2004. As the newly crowned best U.S. player, it was up to Mango to defend the five-year streak of an American player taking the championship on U.S. soil — but he would have his hands full. While Mango was a brazen freestyle type of player who thrived on overwhelming his opponents, Armada was a Swiss Army knife who kept his cool and seemed to always have an answer when it mattered. Mango opened up the set with his trusty Jigglypuff to test the waters, with Armada choosing the same character he’d picked the whole tournament, Peach.

The first two stocks of Game 1 served as a greeting between the two players. Each player quietly observed the other, taking care so as to not reveal their hand, but Armada would slowly whittle down Mango’s Puff, ending Game 1 in a decisive fashion. This however, is where the real game began. After scouting Armada’s Peach in Game 1, Mango decided to change to a character which complimented his frenetic playstyle: Falco.

Right away, Mango unleashed his fury in Game 2, reverse two-stocking Armada in a decisive fashion. The following three games would all go down to the wire in a Peach/Falco slugfest, but once again, Armada found the answer. Mango was sent down to the Loser’s Bracket.

What would it take to rattle the fortress that was Armada? After Mango eliminated Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma in Losers Finals, he sought to find that answer in Grand Finals versus Armada - and Falco definitely wasn’t it. Armada took Game 1 with a clean 3 stock. On his last legs, Mango retreated back to his Jigglypuff, hoping for a different outcome now that he had enough data. Like the last set, the two would alternate victories, until one pivotal moment in Game 4. This moment, while not as universally known as the Daigo parry, would become one of the most defining moments in Super Smash Brothers Melee history.

The answer Mango needed to defeat Armada very much reflected the unconventional essence of Mango himself. It was an answer only he could reach. Prior to Game 4 of this second set, Mango had not landed a single rest on Armada, but in the final stock of the match he landed one of the most cerebral rests in Melee history. It came out of seemingly nowhere. The moment was a critical hit against Armada, and from that point on his rock-solid gameplay slowly began to unravel. Mango would ride this momentum to reset the bracket, winning every single game after Game 4 to become the Melee Genesis champion.

America retained their winning streak that day... but this was only the beginning of Armada’s siege.

Check back next week and learn about the history of Genesis 2 - and the fated rematch between Armada and Mango.