Dominance

2014 was a year of massive success for Melee.  It began with Apex, the largest event of its kind, and its domination by one PPMD. So clean was PPMD’s performance at Apex that he didn’t lose a single set. This occurred though he squared off against Colbol and aMSa, each of whom were having a spectacular tournament, Mango, who made Apex 2014 legendary with his defeat of Leffen, and Mew2King.  The latter faced him on two separate occasions, the first of which included a 4-stock by the Doctor’s new Marth. He lost only two games in his top 8 run and there was significant question after the tournament if he could be considered best in the world.

The next challenge would come at SKTAR, the only MLG Qualifier PPMD attended and the only event prior to MLG where he would play against another God. Here too PPMD showed total control, defeating both Armada and Mango before advancing to face off against Mew2King in Grand Finals. Although their Winner’s Finals set at Apex had included a Marth ditto resulting in a 4-stock, it was easy to excuse Mew2King’s loss as the result of his complete unfamiliarity with PPMD’s Marth; this was the first major tournament it had been used, and it was likely crafted as a response to Mew2King’s command over Falco on Final Destination. Furthermore, Mew2King rage-quit the last stock of the 4-stock at Apex, drawing criticism of its validity.

At SKTAR, however, Mew2King did not simply give up on game 4. He stayed Sheik, stayed off the ledge, and suffered a brutal 4-stock at PPMD’s hands. By this point there was very little question: PPMD was surely the best player in the world. He had a mastery of the neutral game with both Falco and Marth, was renowned for crippling and brutal punishes, and was completely undeterred by the game’s best and most consistent players. Going into MLG Anaheim, he was the clear favorite.

There were, however, two factors that nobody counted on going into the Championship in LA. The first is that Mew2King, while notorious for his poor mindset when losing, was absolutely capable of beating any player in the world. The second is that everyone slept on the kid.

Underdogs

PPMD had, after SKTAR, gone on record to say that MLG was about playing his heart out and learning. He felt good going into it, and fairly confident to boot.  Mango, on the other hand, went into it playing to win. Though Mango had taken a brief hiatus from Smash after his Evo 2013 win, his 3rd place finishes at Apex and SKTAR had caused him to be overlooked. “Mango’s great, but PPMD has his number,” I recall being said by a member of my scene. We were all wrong; that tournament would be the start of a winning streak by Mango that continues into this year. Beaten by him in winner’s, PPMD fell to loser’s…only to be beaten in a game-5 upset by Mew2King who, by Mango’s own admission, “played the best [at MLG] that he’s played in a long, long, long time.”

That everyone played so well at MLG gave challenge to the notion that PPMD was the best at the game as he did not attend CEO, EVO 2014 was the chance for him to prove himself. Mango had convincingly won the last Evo and was favored for Grand Finals alongside Armada. If PPMD could best two favored competitors, his claim to number one could hardly be disputed. But the dark horse Hungrybox, fresh off of a 7th place finish at MLG (his lowest placing in years), had the tournament of his life, beating a PPMD he had traditionally lost against and double-eliminating the heavily favored Armada; an Armada who won in loser’s, 2-0, against the defeated PPMD. Mango would eventually win this tournament as well, and though Hungrybox had done work clearing his own name, his loss in Grand Finals seemed to lay the carpet for Mango to take the throne and title of world’s best.

Mindset

It is at this point that PPMD, failing to take a set off of another God in two consecutive tournaments, went on hiatus. In an article published through his sponsor, Evil Geniuses, he cited depression and a poor mindset. He spoke of reaching his low point, mentally, and would be missing out on any large tournaments until the upcoming Apex 2015.

However, he also mentioned that he had found a new outlook on Smash, and while it would not be ready for The Big House 4 (which Mango won so convincingly that he styled on each and every person he came across in top 8), he hoped that his return to Apex would precipitate its full realization.

And so, with less than a month to go before Apex 2015, the hype surrounding the Doctor’s return is starting to buzz. Will PPMD be able to overcome a poor mindset to regain a number one spot at what will surely be the largest Smash tournament in history? Will he have what it takes to beat a Mango who has never looked better? What does he have planned for each of the Gods who beat him last summer? Beyond them, does his hiatus put him at risk of defeat by Leffen, Axe, or Wobbles? I think PPMD has the potential to win, but here’s what it will take:

1. He’s got to play to win
His mindset of playing to learn and have fun is great, but Smash is being taken seriously as a professional venture by four members of the newly-christened Big Six. They are not playing to have fun, they are going to be playing to win. Armada and Leffen have a tremendous amount to prove, to say nothing of the perpetual dark horse that is Hungrybox, a man whose top 5 status is at stake in this tournament. Mango and Mew2King both pay their bills with Smash, so you can bet they’ll be playing to win too. PPMD will not be triumphant unless he takes them head on and plays as efficiently and as ruthlessly as we’ve come to expect from him.

2. He had better do his homework
PPMD owes his godhood to his study of his game. Unlike Mango, who can adapt on the fly, or Mew2King, whose superb option coverage requires very little adaptation, PPMD must fundamentally know and understand his opponent’s plan and habits in order to have the edge. This is why I think his hiatus will have a net positive effect on his play: by taking time away to review and watch the other gods’ play lately, he will be able to approach Apex 2015 with a game plan designed to subvert each one of them. By contrast, there are virtually no videos of PPMD’s play since Evo; he doesn’t stream and he hasn’t entered a major tournament. His approach will be a nearly total wild card, and his greatest strength will be the element of surprise.

3. He mustn’t sleep on anyone
Though his plans against the four players he lost to are likely to be well-developed, he cannot discount the threats of Westballz, Leffen, Axe, or Wobbles.  Axe put it best when he said “I’m trying so hard to get to the top of the A players…but they keep catching up and the S rank players are getting even better.”  Each of the demigods is going to be there and looking to cause an upset.  Last year’s Apex saw miraculous runs from Fiction, Colbol, and Soft, and PPMD is coming back from his hiatus into a scene that has grown significantly in the past six months.  Mango has learned how to moonwalk to the left (god help us).  Armada has discovered Peach’s up-smash trades with Fox’s nair.  The technology is getting more insane by the day, and if PPMD starts sleeping on players who are fueled by the drive to win, he’s going to pay the price.

Get Hype

PPMD has what it takes, I think, to reclaim the Apex throne. He was the underdog in 2012, overcoming a very difficult Falco-Peach matchup to beat Armada. He was completely and utterly dominant at Apex last year. He’s got the hype of his return and the hype of an East Coast tournament supporting him. And he’s had enough time to study his defeats, figure out why he lost, and come up with a strategy to counteract them. Whether all this is enough to ensure his victory at what looks to be the most difficult tournament of all time remains to be seen. I can say only this. PPMD is known for stacking it up. Now is his chance to knock ‘em all down.

Written by Josh (roboticphish) Kassel, formerly of the MN Smash scene and currently involved in the MD/VA scene.  He has played over a year and studied the game and its scene extensively, frequently posting on the ssbm and smashbros reddits. His email is kassel.josh@gmail.com for anyone who wishes to contact him regarding articles in the future.