Editor’s Note:

The following article was written by Juggleguy and has been re-published as a mirror copy on the Melee It On Me website. You can find the article in its original entirety here on Smashboards.

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Melee in 2012: Year in Review
The fifth annual Smash tournament industry report

Previous Editions
[2007]
[2008] (none)
[2009]
[2010]
[2011]

Overview of 2012

The Melee community in 2012 generated a collection of powerful storylines and memorable performances as usual, from the explosive American debut of Javi to the surprise return appearance by SephirothKen. There were showdowns both domestically and overseas, with Mango and Hungrybox doing battle in three major U.S. tournament finals and an intercontinental clash between Armada and Dr. PeePee going down to the wire in Norway. There were bright moments, including the development of online Melee through Dolphin Netplay, the meteoric rise of Project M tournaments, and an upgrade in production standards through the streaming of national events by VGBootCamp. And there were dark moments, including the controversial ending to Revival of Melee 5 and disillusion at NEC XIII in the shadows of the FGC. All in all, it’s difficult to argue against the fact that the Melee community took major steps forward during the year, showing once again that the game will be relevant for years to come.

The year kicked off on an impressive note as Apex 2012 became the second-biggest Melee tournament of all-time, clocking in at a massive 318 entrants. Hosted by Alex Strife, the event brought a slew of top players across all Smash and fighting games into New Brunswick, NJ for a three-day weekend of festivities. On the Melee side of things, notable international appearances included the US debut of rising German phenom Ice, the return presence of Dutch superstar Amsah, and the much-anticipated comeback of the legendary Captain Jack. But as everyone quickly found out, all international attendees would be overshadowed by Javi. The uncanny Fox pro from Mexico ran a train through losers bracket, claiming Cactuar, Weon-X, KoreanDJ, VaNz, Lovage, and Hax as victims on his way to Losers Quarters. There, he stunned Dr. PeePee with a 2-0 victory, pulling off the hands-down upset of the year and shocking the Melee world. Javi was eventually halted by Hungrybox, who proceeded to also get past Mango and claim a spot in Grand Finals; there, he took the first set before falling again to Armada’s Young Link in a long, intense war of attrition.

The 318-person attendance (left) included international superstars such as Amsah and Ice (right-left) at Apex 2012

Dr. PeePee (left-left) was left in the dust by Javi (left-right), but it was Armada (right) who once again topped them all at Apex 2012

But still more was in store for January. Out west, AzN Lep and Ky fired up Winter Game Fest VII, the seventh edition of the Smash major hosted in San Diego. The whopping 155 entrants who crowded the rooms of UCSD had the privilege of watching some surprise step-up performances: Bizzarro Flame bounced Fly Amanita early in losers bracket, and Lucky returned to form in breakneck fashion by extinguishing S2J in a hard-fought Grand Finals.

The month of March produced two regionals across the United States. SMYM 13 was the latest installment of the classic Midwest Melee tournament series and the first hosted by bertbusdriver, taking over for AOB as the main host. Among the 80 entrants who arrived in Champaign, IL was defending champion Darkrain, who kept alive his perfect record of attending every SMYM event, and Dart, whose eventual 1st-place finish undoubtedly landed him a spot in the ranks of the nation’s top Marth players. Northwest Manifest was a West Coast regional hosted by Silent Wolf and the rest of the Washington community. 88 entrants rolled into Lynnwood, WA for a chance to slay Dr. PeePee, who flew in for the event and became the tourney favorite in the absence of Mango. Indeed, the Falco pro from North Carolina took 1st place after edging past Westballz in a five-game thriller and steamrolling through the rest of the competition.

Dart (left-left) needed five games to put away Darkrain (left-right) and an entire two sets to vanquish Kels (right-left) at SMYM 13

Like any other year, the summer season provided an exciting lineup of Melee majors. Kicking things off was Zenith 2012, the annual East Coast Melee regional hosted by Alex Strife and crismas in New Jersey. 92 entrants spent their Memorial Day weekend enjoying some of the most intense Melee sets of the year: ChuDat hammered past Hungrybox on his way to 3rd place, and Mew2King claimed his first set victory versus Dr. PeePee in over two years with a winners bracket upset, although the Falco guru would get his revenge by taking Grand Finals in a two-set comeback. IMPULSE was Canada’s first large-scale Melee event in years, amassing 78 entrants in Toronto, CA. But it was the United States “big four” — Mango, Dr. PeePee, Hungrybox, and Mew2King — that invaded the land up north, mopping away all challengers on their way to 1st through 4th place and further solidifying their places in the top echelon of North American Melee.

ChuDat (left-right) raised eyebrows with an upset win vs Hungrybox (left-left) at Zenith 2012; the crowd at IMPULSE (right) watches an epic USA vs Canada crew battle

Entering July, no player had successfully snatched victory away from Armada at a European Melee major in over three years. Dr. PeePee aimed to change that, flying out to Norway with his eyes set on taking down the Swedish sensation on his home turf. Smashers Reunion: Melee Grande, hosted by Tonberry, rode the PP-induced hype to produce 124 entrants eager to witness an international showdown for the ages. After a convincing defeat at the hands of Armada in Winners Finals, Dr. PeePee clawed back into contention by taking the decisive seventh game in the exhilarating first set of Grand Finals, hoping for a repeat of his comeback victory at Pound 5. However, the beast from Sweden responded strongly, taking the second set of Grand Finals in six intensely-fought games. Armada’s triumph all but cemented his title of current best Melee player in the world, complementing his 1st-place finishes at both Genesis 2 and Apex 2012.

The spacious venue at Smashers Reunion: Melee Grande (left) seemingly had no limits; Dr. PeePee (right) could not say the same in Grand Finals vs Armada

Back in the states, the NorCal community fired up a Melee major of their own. Rule 6 Regional was hosted by sidefx, Hyuga, tarheeljks, and the rest of the NorCal community, producing 100 entrants in Concord, CA. Attendance featured notable top players visiting from across the country such as Kels and KirbyKaze, as well as the presence of friendly neighbors SoCal and Washington state. Notable storylines included the performance of PewPewU, who made all Marth players’ jaws drop by thrashing Lovage, Silent Wolf, and Zhu in three consecutive winners bracket sets; and Bladewise, who grabbed the headlines with an impressive first-round bracket upset of Mango. But the SoCal kingpin would not be deterred, making a run through losers bracket reminiscent of Pound 3 and eventually knocking off KirbyKaze in Grand Finals.

Phil (left-left) and HomeMadeWaffles (left-right) showing they’ve still got the commentary chemistry; while KirbyKaze (right-left) and S2J (right-right) face off in Winners Semis at Rule 6 Regional

August brought us the end of the summer season, and more significantly, the end of an era for the Midwest community. MELEE-FC10R, also known as FC-Legacy, was a triumphant reunion and send-off for the legendary MELEE-FC tournament series — one final gift by renowned tournament organizers KishPrime and KishSquared to the community they had helped build during the golden years of Melee. Despite an unconventional Sunday through Tuesday schedule, 146 entrants made the journey to South Bend, IN for a throwback major that featured several Midwest veterans such Drephen, Tink, CunningKitsune, Trail, Black Hayate, and the immortal Eddie Howells. But it was the people’s champion, Darkrain, who made an inspirational run through bracket and robbed all spectators of their voices with a valiant display of badassery in the top eight round robin. Eventually, the more modern talent emerged from the wreckage; Mango dispatched of Hungrybox in their second tournament finals meeting in just over a month, followed by Axe and SFAT in 3rd and 4th place, and then Hax, Darkrain, Kage, and Kels to round out the top eight.

The MELEE-FC10R Top 8 (from left to right) Hax, Kage, SFAT, Mango, Darkrain, Axe, and Hungrybox (not pictured: Kels); these players were among the many featured in the Smashers’ Legacy card game (right) devised by the Kishes

Leaning on the success of the exciting first installment, The Big House 2 was the second edition of the national tournament series hosted by Juggleguy in early October. 128 entrants traveled to Ann Arbor, MI for two full days of top-level Melee, including over a dozen players from West Coast and a smaller coalition from Canada and East Coast. Notable headlines included a surprise showing by mysterious Peach player Hanky Panky, who stole the show with upset victories over Westballz, Duck, and Scar in just his second tournament; an impressive step-up performance by Unknown522, who took Hungrybox down to the wire in a riveting five-game Winners Semis; and the breakout of Fly Amanita, who put an exclamation point on his first out-of-region tournament by picking up wins over KirbyKaze and SFAT to take 3rd place. And for the second time in as many Big House installments, it was a consummate Melee pro from West Coast who took the tournament title: Mango put on a clinic in the Fox-Jigglypuff matchup by completing a 6-1 rout of Hungrybox in Grand Finals, extending his streak of major titles to four since his 3rd-place finish at Apex.

Wobbles (left-right) works the commentary station for a 2nd round pools match between KirbyKaze (right-left) and Vudujin (right-right) at The Big House 2

With November came Kings of Cali, hosted by TheCrimsonBlur, SUNG, and Team OXY. Living up to its tournament name in epic fashion, the SoCal super regional brought in 121 entrants who were fortunate enough to witness the return of a true legend. Former world champion SephirothKen made his first appearance at a Melee tournament in over five years, stunning the Melee community by announcing his plans to attend in the days before the event. Despite not having touched a GameCube controller since 2007, Ken took 3rd place in doubles with Dr. PeePee and even finished the fight for SoCal in its dominating six-stock crew battle victory over NorCal. Though eliminated early in singles bracket, Ken’s return produced unprecedented hype for the event, shockwaves throughout the Melee populace, and even some commentary gems that will last the test of time. Almost forgotten was that there was an actual tournament still to be played out; in it, Dr. PeePee edged past Axe in a five-game Losers Finals, then wrestled away 1st place from Mango with a surprising two-set win in Grand Finals, adding more logs to the fire of their rivalry.

The ageless SephirothKen (left-left) wrapping up SoCal’s crew battle victory over NorCal’s PewPewU (left-right); while Mango (right-left) and Dr. PeePee (right-right) clash in Grand Finals at Kings of Cali

The year concluded in traditional fashion with Revival of Melee 5, hosted by Alukard. Despite the chaos of Hurricane Sandy in the days leading up to the event, 114 entrants weathered the storm to attend the annual East Coast Melee major in Nanuet, NY. Without the country’s top three players in attendance, the door was open for a new champion to unseat Mew2King and perpetuate the RoM series’ reputation as the tournament of upsets. However, the community was instead treated to a lackluster final three tourney sets and a controversial series of TOing decisions; this uncharacteristic ending resulted in a fallout that reignited a debate on the integrity of prize pot splitting and raised new questions about the enforcement of a code of conduct for the Melee community. Still, several positives could be taken away from the event; most notably, RoM 5 became the first paid-entry tournament in the states to break 100 entrants the weekend after another 100-entrant Melee tournament since the summer of 2007, when there were a remarkable three consecutive weekends featuring 100-entrant Melee majors.

Revival of Melee stayed strong in its fifth outing with a 114-entrant turnout (left); doubles Grand Finals pitted Hax and Scar (right-left) against Mew2King and Chillin (right-right)

25 Noteworthy Tournaments from 2012

This list is based on popularity and importance as determined by number of participants (Apex 2012), prize money (Smashers Reunion), and prestige (MELEE-FC10R).

Apex 2012: Worldwide Event (318 entrants)
1/6/12 – 1/8/12
New Brunswick, NJ
1: Armada ($3046)
2: Hungrybox ($1489)
3: Mango ($804)
4: Javi ($536)
5: Dr. PeePee ($270)
5: KirbyKaze ($270)
7: Hax ($169)
7: Shroomed ($169)
9: Lovage
9: MacD
9: Wobbles
9: Unknown522

Apex Hotel Tournament (54 entrants)
1/7/12
New Brunswick, NJ
1: Hungrybox ($53)
2: Shroomed ($1)
3: KirbyKaze
4: Unknown522
5: I.B.
5: Mafia
7: Weon-X
7: Banks

Winter Game Fest VII (155 entrants)
1/14/12 – 1/15/12
San Diego, CA
1: Lucky
2: S2J
3: Westballz
4: Zhu
5: Lovage
5: Wobbles
7: Eddy Mexico
7: Bizzarro Flame
9: Sung
9: stabbedbyanipple
9: Fly Amanita
9: Fiction

Shell Shocked XII (60 entrants)
2/11/12
College Park, MD
1. Chillindude829 ($240)
2. ChuDat ($150)
3. Tope ($90)
4. Chinesah ($60)
5. Vist ($30)
5. Plank ($30)
7. Wife
7. Voodoo

SWEET VI: Sparty’s Revenge (53 entrants)
2/25/12
East Lansing, MI
1: Kels ($260)
2: VaNz ($130)
3: Duck ($78)
4: Shaeden ($52)
5: Moose
5: Vudujin
7: Shady
7: Flip

Show Me Your Moves 13 (85 entrants)
3/10/12
Champaign, IL
1: Dart
2: Kels
3: Darkrain
4: ihavespaceballs
5: Tink
5: j00t
7: AnDaLe
7: Tyser

Northwest Manifest (88 entrants)
3/24/12
Lynnwood, WA
1: Dr. PeePee ($667)
2: Lovage ($334)
3: SFAT ($200)
4: Westballz ($133)
5: S2J
5: Axe
7: Sion
7: Tope

Epita Smash Arena 5 (63 entrants)
4/20/12 – 4/23/12
Villejuif, France
1: Armada
2: Ice
3: Fuzzyness
4: OverTriforce
5: Cyr
5: leffen
7: Android
7: VanityAngel

WTCA (58 entrants)
4/28/12
Cleveland, OH
1: Duck
2: Moose
3: 4% APR
4: Vudujin
5: Abate
5: SilentSwag
7: Ambix
7: Juggleguy

UCSB: Weekend Wars! (42 entrants)
5/12/12
Santa Barbara, CA
1: Mango
2: Lovage
3: Westballz
4: Shroomed
5: SFAT
5: S2J
7: Joeplicate
7: Bob$

Mass Madness Anniversary (50 entrants)
5/19/12
Framingham, MA
1: Mew2King ($235)
2: Th0rn ($107)
3: Moose ($68)
4: Swiftbass ($39)
5: Darc ($20)
5: KevinM ($20)
7: Zoso
7: Kyu Puff

Zenith 2012 (92 entrants)
5/26/12 – 5/27/12
South River, NJ
1: Dr. PeePee
2: Mew2King
3: ChuDat
4: Hungrybox
5: Hax
5: Jman
7: DoH
7: G$

IMPULSE (78 entrants)
6/30/12 – 7/1/12
Toronto, ON, Canada
1: Mango ($390)
2: Dr. PeePee ($195)
3: Hungrybox ($78)
4: Mew2King ($39)
5: KirbyKaze ($24)
5: Vwins ($24)
7: Unknown522 ($15)
7: Kage the Warrior ($15)

Smashers Reunion: Melee Grande (124 entrants)
7/13/12 – 7/15/12
Eidsvoll, Norway
1: Armada
2: Dr. PeePee
3: Leffen
4: Ice
5: Zgetto
5: Adam
7: Overtriforce
7: Aldwyn
9: Calle W
9: Fuzzyness
9: Baxon
9: NamiNami

Tipped Off 8 (48 entrants)
7/21/12 – 7/22/12
Suwanee, GA
1: Hungrybox ($343.00)
2: Colbol ($98.00)
3: -Chad- ($49.00)
4: LoZR
5: TA Travis
5: Zidane
7: XIF
7: j00t

Rule 6 Regional (100 entrants)
7/29/12
Concord, CA
1: Mango ($450)
2: KirbyKaze ($270)
3: Shroomed ($135)
4: PewPewU ($45)
5: Bladewise ($10)
5: S2J ($10)
7: Westballz
7: Lucky

MELEE-FC10R (146 entrants)
8/12/12 – 8/14/12
South Bend, IN
1. Mango
2. Hungrybox
3. Axe
4. SFAT
5. Kage
6. Hax
7. Kels
8. Darkrain
9. Chillindude829
9. Little England
9. -Chad-
9. VaNz

Rule 6 August (56 entrants)
8/25/12
Concord, CA
1: Mango ($135)
2: S2J ($81)
3: Shroomed ($54)
4: Darkatma
5: SFAT
5: Bob$
7: Zhu
7: Westballz

The Big House 2 (128 entrants)
10/6/12 – 10/7/12
Ann Arbor, MI
1. Mango ($684)
2. Hungrybox ($342)
3. Fly Amanita ($257)
4. SFAT ($171)
5. KirbyKaze ($86)
5. Unknown522 ($86)
7. Frootloop ($43)
7. Chillindude829 ($43)
9. Trail
9. Westballz
9. Hanky Panky
9. Darkatma

Carrollfest 3 (45 entrants)
11/10/12
Pittsburgh, PA
1. Mew2King
2. Abate
3. Cactuar
4. VaNz
5. PGH Carroll
5. TheLake
7. Hanky Panky
7. Green Ranger

Kings of Cali (121 entrants)
11/10/12
Pasadena, CA
1. Dr. PeePee
2. Mango
3. Axe
4. Shroomed
5. Fly Amanita
5. PewPewU
7. Westballz
7. S2J
9. Eddy Mexico
9. Scar
9. Darrell
9. SFAT

Revival of Melee 5 (114 entrants)
11/17/12 – 11/18/12
Nanuet, NY
1. Mew2King
2. Unknown522
3. KirbyKaze
4. Eggm
5. Hax
5. Chillindude829
7. Scar
7. DJ Nintendo
9. Ether
9. Swift
9. Nintendude
9. Cactuar

HF-Lan 4 (58 entrants)
12/1/12 – 12/2/12
Noisy-le-Grand, France
1. Armada
2. Leffen
3. Zgetto
4. Ice
5. Cyr
5. Overtriforce
7. Tekk
7. Salepâte

NEC XIII (40 entrants)
12/1/12 – 12/2/12
Philadelphia, PA
1. Mew2King
2. Hax
3. Unknown522
4. TheMoon
5. Chillindude829
5. Swedish Delight
7. RaynEX
7. Eggm

Campbell X (62 entrants)
12/8/12
Campbell, CA
1. PewPewU
2. Westballz
3. SFAT
4. Shroomed
5. Phil
5. Alvin
7. Alan
7. Germ

Growth

2004’s largest tournament: TG6
100 people: 2 (TG6, GO)
200 people: 0

2005’s largest tournament: MELEE-FC3
100 people: 6 (MELEE-FC3, GS2, MLG DC, MLG SF, BOMB 4, MOAST 3)
200 people: 0

2006’s largest tournament: MLG New York Playoffs
100 People: 10 (MLG New York Opener, MLG Dallas, MLG Anaheim, MLG Chicago, MLG Orlando, MLG New York Playoffs, MELEE-FC6, OC2, SMYM 6, Gauntlet)
200 People: 2 (MLG New York Playoffs, MELEE-FC6)

2007’s largest tournament: EVO World
100 people: 14 (Cataclysm III, EVO South, Innsomnia V, Smash Royale III, RoS 4, Pound 2, C3 Smash Battle, FC-Diamond, OC3, EVO West, EVO World, SCC, VLS, UCLA IV)
200 people: 5 (FC-Diamond, Pound 2, SCC, EVO World, OC3)

2008’s largest tournament: ESA 2
100 people: 5 (Pound 3, ESA 2, UCLA V, TGMTSBCO, Event 52)
200 people: 2 (Pound 3, ESA 2)

2009’s largest tournament: Genesis
100 people: 10 (SMYM 9, Revival of Melee, Mango Juice, Smash Attack, ESA 3, Genesis, SMYM 10, TSL 4, Pat’s House, RoM 2)
200 people: 1 (Genesis)

2010’s largest tournament: Pound 4
100 people: 6 (Pound 4, SMYM 11, APEX 2010, SNY 1, RoM 3, DGDTJ)
200 people: 2 (Pound 4, APEX 2010)
300 people: 1 (Pound 4)

2011’s largest tournament: Pound 5
100 people: 8 (BEAST, WGF VI, Pound 5, SMYM 12, Genesis 2, BEAST II, The Big House, RoM 4)
200 people: 2 (Pound 5, Genesis 2)
300 people: 0

2012’s largest tournament: Apex 2012
100 people: 8 (Apex 2012, WGF VII, Smashers Reunion, Rule 6 Regional, MELEE-FC10R, The Big House 2, Kings of Cali, RoM 5)
200 people: 1 (Apex 2012)
300 people: 1 (Apex 2012)

Closing Thoughts

So what can we look forward to in 2013? Safe to say, exciting changes are in store that will change the landscape of the Melee community moving forward. After the recent purchase of Smashboards, the timeless Smash hub is now in the hands of community veteran AlphaZealot, who has promised the long-overdue upgrades that former MLG ownership was unable to provide. Also, Project M has transitioned from the development phases to a presence to be reckoned with at major tournaments — currently, the title of biggest PM tourney belongs to MELEE-FC10R at 106 entrants. On the media side of things, livestreaming has taken its place as the new production standard in the Melee community, pioneered by the VGBootCamp team. “The Smash Brothers” documentary has blazed a trail of hype that should last all the way through post-production to its release in summer 2013, made possible by generous donations from the community and the never-ending enthusiasm of project leader Samox. A biweekly roundtable discussion on the ebb and flow of the community has also come to fruition, as the “Melee it on Me” series continues into the new year under the guidance of Scar. And last but certainly not least, mega international Apex 2013 is right around the corner, lined up for the second weekend of January with superstars Mango, Armada, Javi, and many more already confirmed to be in attendance. All things considered, the Melee community is in good hands to take more steps forward into 2013.

Mango (left) consoles Dr. PeePee (right) after his stunning loss to Javi (background) at Apex 2012

Hungrybox and Plup (right) wrapping up a victory over ChuDat and Kage (left) on their way to 2nd place in doubles at Apex 2012

Tope (left) and KoreanDJ (right) discussing Sheik strategy at Apex 2012

The screen in the background says it all: Captain Jack (mid right, Sheik) four stocks, Isai (mid left, Falcon) zero stocks, in an exhibition match at Apex 2012

Prog (left) and Dogy (right) doing what they do best: entertaining the viewers at home watching the Apex 2012 livestream

Javi (mid right) made a spectacular run through Apex 2012, but was finally stopped by Hungrybox (mid left)

Melee Doubles at SMYM 13: Tink and Kels (left) vs Darkrain and dmac (right)

Darkrain (right) pumps his fist in victory over a disappointed Kels (left) at SMYM 13

Ice (left) and Armada (right) duking it out at ESA 5

Mew2King (right) won a set versus Dr. PeePee (left) for the first time in over two years at Zenith 2012

The original Wombo Combo engineers, Tang (left) and SilentSpectre (right), making a cameo appearance at Rule 6 Regional

The grandfathers of West Coast Melee, Boback (left) and Sheridan (mid), inform Kels (right) that he must face Mango in losers bracket at Rule 6 Regional

Mango (left) vs PewPewU (right) in a highly entertaining Rule 6 rumble

MELEE-FC10R employed an unusual but exciting Top 8 format, matching up (from left to right): Kage, SFAT, Mango, Darkrain, Axe, Hungrybox, and Kels (not pictured: Hax) in an epic round robin finale

The MELEE-FC panel enjoying a laugh (from left to right): Viperboy, Eddie Howells, Drephen, Yeroc, and Chillindude829 (not pictured: Hungrybox)

The 128-person crowd intently watches a match at The Big House 2

MattDotZeb (right) talked the talk, but did not walk the walk versus Sung (left) at The Big House 2

Unknown522 (left) accepting a narrow 2nd round pools defeat to Duck (right) at The Big House 2

SephirothKen (left) dusting off the GameCube controller for the first time since 2007, playing friendlies vs Samox (right)

Highly-anticipated documentary “The Smash Brothers” is set to be released in Summer 2013

Fight Night, Melee-edition: the promo poster for a best-of-7 exhibition showdown between Bob$ and Scar at Campbell X

A lineup of legends (from left to right): SephirothKen, Dr. PeePee, Mango, and Lucky at Kings of Cali

Group photo at Kings of Cali

Credits:
Robert Paul (Apex 2012 photos)
Master_Ppv (SMYM 13 photos)
Aayla (ESA 5 photos)
_Novi (SRMG photos)
sidefx (Rule 6 photos)
metroid1117 (Rule 6 photos)
samox (MELEE-FC10R photos)
Joseph Xu (Big House 2 photos)
Out of HP (Kings of Cali photos)
Violence (Kings of Cali photos)
David Campbell (ROM 5 photos)
TheCrimsonBlur (fact checking)
aisight (fact checking)

I really enjoy writing these every year! I think they’re a great way for newer/casual players to learn more about the scene, and also for returning players to get caught up with the recent happenings of the community. Please leave a comment here in the thread with any errors on the reported facts, suggestions on headlines I may have missed, or feedback on the writeup overall, I’m interested in hearing them.

Thanks for reading!