This Saturday, one of the most stacked Melee regionals in recent memory will go down at Swarthmore College, only a half-hour drive from Philadelphia, PA. With a 241-entrant singles bracket, Clothier Hall—the tournament’s picturesque venue—will be packed to the gills with Melee players looking to make a splash.
Seriously, is it a tourney venue or a sacrosanct place of worship? (picture: Swarthmore College)
The Gang Hosts a Melee Tournament, heretofore referred to as Gang, will be hosted by EndGameTV, and viewers can tune in on the organization’s Twitch channel. The singles bracket features top 100 talent such as Jack “Crush” Hoyt, James “Swedish Delight” Liu, Zain “Zain” Naghmi, and far more. Furthermore, strong contenders from outside the top 100 will be in attendance. Notably, Nick “Stango” Stango, the king of Philadelphia Melee, will hope to build on a successful GENESIS 5 run marked by multiple top 100 victories and a tight five-game set with world No. 3 Joseph “Mang0” Marquez.
What’s most exciting about this tournament is the fact that its outcome is entirely up in the air. Unlike last weekend’s Noods Noods Noods, where Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma towered over the competition, Gang has no clear favorite.
On paper, Crush seems to be the most likely victor—after all, he’s the highest-ranked attendee on SSBMRank 2017. However, there’s a bit of a rock-paper-scissors situation going on within the top three seeds. At Pat’s House 3, their only meeting last year, Zain defeated Crush in a game-five thriller. Zain, a veritable spacie slayer, can definitely pull the upset again. And in their only meeting last year at Smash Valley V, Swedish Delight 3-0ed Zain. If past results are any indicator, any one of these three could end up on top—or another one of the high-level players present, such as Anthony “Slox” Detres or Rishi “Rishi” Malhotra, could prevent them from meeting at all.
If you’re looking to spend your weekend watching an exciting display of Melee talent right below the elite level, look no further. With its impressive lineup, dependable streaming staff, and humorous premise, Gang promises to be a good time for both viewers and attendees.
