Last year looked to be the undisputed year of Armada, as he was poised to end the year without losing a tournament since WTFox in July. For months now people have wondered who, if anyone, could stop the number one player in the world. While everyone looked towards Leffen and Mang0 to do so, the Jigglypuff main Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma made history by being the first American to win a major Swedish tournament over Armada.

Armada’s near perfect second half of 2015 (Source: Liquipedia)

Hungrybox became efficient at placing well in tournaments in 2015, but it was at DreamHack where he showed the world both his ability to beat Armada and to win where it counts, earning him a number two ranking in the world. Even with his most recent win, and his win at MLG World Finals, there will still be those who doubt Hungrybox’s skill as a top player. Genesis 3 is the time and the place for Hungrybox to make even bigger waves and prove those people wrong.

New Confidence

Like all of those who are masters of their craft, Hungrybox appears emotionally invested in Melee, perhaps even more so than his peers. After his victory at DreamHack, Hungrybox broke down in tears of joy and relief, for he had just proved wrong those who had dismissed his ability to win with Jigglypuff in a Fox heavy environment. As Hungrybox will undoubtedly arrive at Genesis with his heart on his sleeve, the emotional positivity and the knowledge that he is capable of winning will be his greatest advantage this weekend. Smash is a game of momentum and confidence, and by coming off of his wins, Hungrybox may no longer question whether he has what it takes to win in the era of Armada, but instead focus in on repeating his successes.

A Support System

Even though Melee has had fourteen years of community and comradery, the game has always been viewed as an independent endeavor, where you could end up playing your own doubles teammate in tournament. Hungrybox may be changing that. At DreamHack Winter, Hungrybox came aided by friend, smasher, and coach Captain Crunch, who helped Hungrybox with the game technically as well as emotionally.

Captain Crunch comforts an emotional and victorious Hungrybox at DreamHack Winter (Source: Geeky Goon Squad)

There have been cries of foul play with the use of a coach and Genesis 3 has banned coaching between and during games, but having a mind exclusive to assist with strategy as well as someone to reassure you in the midst of bracket intensity should not be overlooked. In his post tournament interview Hungrybox couldn’t thank Captain Crunch enough and it would be ignorant to think having the support in the form of a coach didn’t aid his victory. Genesis 3 will be no different as Captain Crunch will be there in full force. Hungrybox’s confidence will be undoubtedly high as he enters Genesis with an attack plan, assisted by those around him

Growing Pains

Even though Melee continues to be dominated by a select few, the Top 6 may be showing cracks in the historic armor that has been built around these gods of the game. History tells us that one of the Top 6 will win Genesis 3, but it’s becoming more apparent that not all gods are created equal. Mew2King has been considered one of the best for six years, even with his roller coaster of emotions displayed on player camera as well as his twitter. This is changing as Mew2King’s hand problems seem to be getting worse and he was only able to take one set off of Hungrybox in 2015. Mang0 has also been losing steam as “The Kid” failed to secure an EVO three-peat and instead got fifth, placed fifth at DreamHack, and took a brutal seventeenth place at HTC Throwdown. The dual spacie main, known for his ability to clutch wins over Hungrybox, lost his two most recent sets against the Jigglypuff player including the losers bracket set the rivaled pair played at EVO. Finally, PPMD has not been seen much due to health reasons, putting him at a physical and mental disadvantage along with having very little top level practice recently. He also hasn’t beaten Hungrybox since 2013. This leaves Leffen and Armada as strong opponents, but Leffen will not be in attendance due to visa issues.

Leffen is unable to attend Genesis 3 (Source: Twitter)

Of course nothing in Smash is guaranteed, a Hungrybox vs. Armada could very well end the tournament with a battle of attrition to overcome Armada’s surgical playstyle and Fox.

Bracketology

While Hungrybox is capable of taking games from any player, his bracket path may give him another advantage. With the bye system for top players, it is a known quantity that Armada, Mang0, and Mew2King will be on the other side of the bracket. Unless there are some big upsets early on and with a Leffen forfeit, Hungrybox may not face a Fox main until he reaches winners finals. (This is assuming PPMD makes it to Top 8 winners, but a Silent Wolf upset would change that). Unless Mang0, Mew2King, Plup, or Axe can upset their side of the bracket, Armada will be the final obstacle for Hungrybox at Genesis.

History

Genesis is a tournament series that has been destined to change Melee. History has been made twice, and Hungrybox is entering an arena brimming with legacy. It seems almost poetic that a Jigglypuff player triumphantly overcame Armada at the first Genesis, and that Armada would be the reining champ for this edition of Genesis, a name for a tournament almost too appropriate to be coincidence. Armada may be going into this tournament with a new number one ranking, but the stars may be aligning for Hungrybox to make history once more. In the end, it won’t matter what people say about him, Hungrybox will win Genesis 3 and maybe then players will start to be scared. A confident Jigglypuff may just be unstoppable.