Hax vs Zhu: The Best Rivalry Nobody Talks About
Article by Robin Harn
When you hear Smashers talk about the greatest rivalries of all-time, it’s probably the usual: Mango vs Armada. Ken vs Azen. Mango vs Mew2King. But one matchup that has eluded the discussion far too long is Hax vs Zhu. Despite having flown under the radar for years, these two have played some of the most intense, high-level tournament matches in Melee history, and the narrative remains intriguing to this day. It’s a battle of the coasts: Hax was raised in New York, while Zhu is a NorCal native. It’s a battle of the characters: Hax toughed it out for years as perennial underdog Falcon before switching to Fox, while Zhu maintained dominance as a premiere Falco player and epitomized the reason a Falcon player might switch to Fox. It’s a battle of the highest stakes: the vast majority of their sets have taken place at the biggest tourneys of the year, including storied franchises such as Genesis, Pound, and Apex.
Most importantly, Hax and Zhu are both players that have undeniably been top-10 in the world for extended periods of time in the game’s history, and it’s that level of consistent gameplay that has given us great set after great set between the two. It’s no surprise both players showed they’ve still got it this past weekend at Zenith 2014.
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