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Super Smash Bros Melee Major ends up the first in 20 years to feature an all-new top 4, and the winner almost refunded his flight when he saw his "scary" bracket
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Update, November 26: A previous version of this article suggested that moky was the first new Melee Major tournament winner in 20 years. In fact, this was the first Melee Major tournament to feature a an all-new top four in that timespan. The article has since been corrected, and we regret the error.
Don't Park on the Grass 2024, a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament, just made history as the first to feature no previous major winners in its final four for over 20 years.
Moky, Aklo, Nicki, and Joshman were the four finalists. Nicki used Ice Climbers to beat Joshman's Fox in the losers bracket and subsequently lost to Aklo's Fox in the losers finals. The Fox on Fox violence continued as Aklo and moky faced off in the finals both using the fighter, but ultimately, moky emerged victorious, beating Aklo 3-1.
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Moky has been active since 2015 and is a member of Moist Esports, as is fellow finalist Joshman. This is moky's only major win.
I played a lot of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with my flatmates when it launched back in 2018 and we got so sweaty that it nearly tore us apart, but I'm still in awe at the skill displayed by the pros. In the final, moky and Aklo didn't just attack where their opponent was, but where they predicted they'd be in a split-second's time.
The tactic that ended up winning for moky was his consistent ability to knock Aklo off the stage and then edge guard. Fox's recovery move doesn't offer much in the way of aerial movement. It takes time to charge meaning your opponent can get into position to block your return to the stage, and it doesn't actually move Fox very far, so it's futile if you've been sent flying off to the side or below the arena.
"I feel good, dude", moky says during his winner interview. "My bracket was so scary," he says when recounting the journey that led up to his victory. "It was Luigi into Ice Climbers into [Jiggly]puff into two Peach. The first time I ever looked at my bracket I checked to see if my flight was refundable."
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It just goes to show that you should always give yourself a chance, you just might surprise yourself.
If you'd like to get involved in the competitive side of Smash, check out our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tier list to give yourself the best odds.
I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.
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