This Sunday, over 450 Melee players will converge upon Long Beach, California’s Thunder Esport Center for The Mango, a super-regional event hosted by Joseph “Mang0” Marquez and 2GGaming. Although the event will only feature two gods (Mang0 and William “Leffen” Hjelte) in competition, it’s the second-largest Melee tournament of the year after GENESIS 5 and is rumored to have another god (Justin “Plup” McGrath) in its commentary lineup. Without a doubt, it’s this weekend’s event to watch.
The nigh-inevitable showdown between Mang0 and Leffen is the story of the event. After Leffen overcame Mang0 in a five-game Losers Quarters at GENESIS 5, Mang0 will look to strike back before the rivals both travel to Bloomington, Indiana for Full Bloom 4 next weekend. While the stakes aren’t quite as high in Long Beach as they will in Bloomington, the results of The Mango will reveal who has the most momentum going into the next major Melee event.
Mang0 and Leffen aren’t the only hyped contenders entering The Mango’s bracket; a host of other skilled players in will be in attendance. Most of these players are SoCal residents, including Johnny “S2J” Kim, Zachary “SFAT” Cordoni, Joey “Lucky” Aldama, and the rest of Southern California’s well-known players. However, some out-of-region threats, such as James “Swedish Delight” Liu and Dajuan “Shroomed” McDaniel, will try their hands against SoCal’s best.
The Mango is the closest thing that Los Angeles has had to a major Melee event in a while. It'll be exciting to see how SoCal’s hidden bosses fare in a large-tournament environment. Tune into Mang0’s stream on March 18 to see the action unfold.
