It’s the return of the King, and in a big way.
Echo Fox’s Mew2King made a return to competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee play this past weekend at The Big House 9, one of the biggest Smash tournaments of the year. It was Mew2King’s first major Melee appearance in over nine months, as he had taken the time to focus on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well as his Twitch stream. There was much anticipation heading into the event; and Mew2King did not disappoint.
The Return of the King
Mew2King made a good run through the winner’s bracket, showing signs of brilliance with some expected rust. But then he had to face iBDW, who he was projected to lose to. iBDW has had a breakout year, with set victories over players such as Mang0, Hungrybox, and Leffen to solidify himself as a top 10 threat for the year. He was expected to just be in too good of shape for Mew2King at this point. Their set went to game 5, with one of the most nailbiting endings of the year:
After this stressful victory, Mew2King more than had his work cut out for him when he had to play Hungrybox, the number one Melee player in the world and a longtime bracket demon for Mew2King. There were low expectations, as Mew2King’s success against Hungrybox has often required him to be well-practiced and in the proper mindset.
So how did he fare against the reigning world champion? Well, it’s probably best to just watch the set; it’s a contender for match of the year.
Unfortunately, Mew2King’s run would come to an end when he would lose to Zain and then Fiction to finish at 5th place overall. Still, it solidified Mew2King’s status as one of the game’s all-time greats; the fact that he could be away from competition for so long and still show up some of the best in the world is a testament to just how good he is.
