Five Gods
The Five Gods refers to five Melee players who dominated the competitive scene for much of the game's lifetime: Armada, Hungrybox, Mango, Mew2King, and PPMD. The title is specifically reserved for these players, and is not a dynamic reflection of the current top echelon of players—its usage mirrors the FGC's Five Japanese Gods of Fighting Games (from which Melee borrowed the term), or the Bonjwas of Starcraft: Brood War.
Although there are several other players that have shown the ability to beat the Gods, (e.g. Wizzrobe, aMSa, Zain, and Axe), the Five Gods were remarkably resilient to dropping sets (and thus, tournaments) to players outside of their ranks. Consequently, wins over the Five Gods were viewed as an important indicator and achievement for upcoming top players. With the retirement of Armada in 2018,[1] the prolonged hiatus of PPMD starting in 2016, the retreat of Mew2King from the competitive scene, and the rise of new top players, the Five Gods are no longer the dominant force in Melee.
The Era[edit]
The period of time during which the Five Gods were the dominant force in competitive Melee is known as the Era of the Five Gods. The start of the era is generally agreed to fall somewhere from Armada's run at GENESIS to PPMD's victory at Pound V.[2]
The end of the the era is ill-defined. Some common opinions include, but are not limited to:
- Apex 2015, where Leffen defeated his final God and PPMD claimed his last major victory.[2]
- The Big House 7, where Plup beat Armada, thus defeating his final God.
- Armada's retirement after winning Super Smash Con 2018.
- That the era cannot end while any Gods are still active.
The Five Gods were only simultaneously active for a period between approximately 2009-2016. However, the longevity of Mew2King and Mango has meant that at least one God has been present at the top level of the scene for nearly its entire lifetime. In fact, by some definitions, the last major tournament to not feature one of the Gods in top 8 was the 2005 MLG National Championships.[3] This streak was broken at Shine 2023, as no Gods attended.
Notable Challengers[edit]
At Apex 2015, Leffen defeated Mew2King and became the first player to beat all five of the Gods in tournament. He had previously defeated Hungrybox at Apex 2014, Armada at B.E.A.S.T 4, PPMD at MLG Anaheim 2014, and Mango at B.E.A.S.T 5. Although he is not officially a member of the "Five Gods", he is widely considered to be on the same skill level as them. Leffen would go on to win EVO 2018 defeating Hungrybox in Winners Semifinals, Plup in Winners Finals and Armada in Grand Finals.
At The Big House 7, Plup became the second player to defeat all five of the Gods in tournament with his victory over Armada. He had previously defeated Hungrybox at Advent II, Mango at EVO 2015, PPMD at Smash Summit, and Mew2King at Battle of the Five Gods. As with Leffen, he is not officially considered a member of the "Five Gods". Plup would also go on to win GENESIS 5, defeating Mango, Armada, and Hungrybox as well.
Members[edit]
Breakout Tournament | GENESIS (2009) |
---|---|
First Major Win | GENESIS 2 |
Last Major Win | Super Smash Con 2018 |
Breakout Tournament | GENESIS (2009) |
---|---|
First Major Win | Revival of Melee 2 |
Last Major Win | Riptide 2022 |
Breakout Tournament | EVO 2007 |
---|---|
First Major Win | Pound 3 |
Last Major Win | Mainstage 2022 |
Breakout Tournament | Pound (2006) |
---|---|
First Major Win | Cataclysm 3 |
Last Major Win | Smash Summit 6 |
Breakout Tournament | Revival of Melee 2 (2009) |
---|---|
First Major Win | Revival of Melee 3 |
Last Major Win | Apex 2015 |
Players Who Have Beaten a God[edit]
Armada[edit]
- 2018-08-05 | Swedish Delight x1
- 2017-10-08 | Plup x2
- 2015-08-17 | Trif x1
- 2014-06-01 | Mew2King x7
- 2014-02-16 | Leffen x25
- 2011-02-21 | PPMD x8
- 2010-08-08 | Hungrybox x19
- 2010-01-18 | SilentSpectre x1
- 2009-07-12 | Mang0 x21
- 2009-04-05 | Zgetto x1
- 2008-03-27 | Calle W x4
- 2008-02-24 | Captain Jack x2
- 2007-07-06 | Amsah x2
- 2007-07-06 | Masamune x1
- 2007-04-03 | Helios x4
Hungrybox[edit]
- 2023-10-29 | Kero (Melee player) x1
- 2023-10-29 | Komodo x1
- 2023-09-24 | Salt x1
- 2023-06-25 | Panda x1
- 2023-01-22 | moky x3
- 2022-11-06 | Pipsqueak x1
- 2022-08-28 | Jmook x3
- 2022-07-10 | S2J x1
- 2022-06-26 | KJH x1
- 2022-04-17 | n0ne x1
- 2021-10-31 | Polish x2
- 2019-12-08 | Hax x2
- 2019-11-09 | KoDoRiN x3
- 2019-07-14 | Albert x1
- 2019-06-16 | Cody Schwab x12
- 2018-10-28 | Duck x1
- 2018-08-26 | Zain x24
- 2018-05-06 | aMSa x11
- 2016-11-13 | Nintendude x1
- 2016-11-13 | La Luna x1
- 2016-08-28 | SFAT x3
- 2016-07-17 | Plup x17
- 2016-07-03 | Wizzrobe x14
- 2015-09-06 | Professor Pro x1
- 2015-04-19 | Westballz x1
- 2015-02-01 | PewPewU x1
- 2014-06-22 | Axe x1
- 2014-01-19 | Leffen x25
- 2013-07-13 | Wobbles x1
- 2012-01-08 | KirbyKaze x1
- 2011-07-17 | Lovage x1
- 2011-02-21 | Armada x33
- 2010-12-19 | Lucky x5
- 2010-12-19 | Fly Amanita x1
- 2010-03-28 | PPMD x8
- 2009-06-27 | Mang0 x49
- 2009-06-13 | DaShizWiz x1
- 2009-04-11 | Colbol x5
- 2009-03-08 | ChuDat x2
- 2009-03-08 | PC Chris x1
- 2008-10-19 | RaynEX x1
- 2008-10-19 | Darkrain x1
- 2008-07-20 | Xelic x1
- 2008-07-20 | Mew2King x28
Mango[edit]
- 2024-03-17 | moky x1
- 2024-02-25 | Sirmeris x1
- 2024-02-25 | Ossify x1
- 2023-05-21 | S2J x3
- 2023-01-22 | Matteo x1
- 2022-10-23 | SluG x1
- 2022-10-23 | Pipsqueak x1
- 2022-08-07 | Jmook x4
- 2022-05-15 | KoDoRiN x1
- 2022-04-24 | lloD x1
- 2022-04-17 | Fizzwiggle x1
- 2019-09-15 | Spark x1
- 2019-06-16 | Cody Schwab x7
- 2019-02-03 | aMSa x9
- 2019-02-03 | Magi x1
- 2018-11-18 | Bananas x1
- 2018-11-11 | Venti x1
- 2018-11-11 | EastCoastJeff x1
- 2018-08-12 | Flipsy x1
- 2018-07-29 | ARMY x2
- 2018-05-06 | Zain x17
- 2018-03-18 | Glitch (player) x1
- 2018-03-18 | Kalamazhu x1
- 2017-11-19 | n0ne x2
- 2017-11-19 | dizzkidboogie x1
- 2017-03-19 | Kels x1
- 2017-03-19 | Drunk Sloth x1
- 2017-03-05 | ChuDat x3
- 2016-12-04 | MikeHaze x1
- 2016-08-28 | Nintendude x1
- 2015-09-19 | MacD x1
- 2015-09-19 | Druggedfox x1
- 2015-07-19 | Plup x11
- 2015-04-19 | Axe x5
- 2015-01-11 | Leffen x13
- 2014-05-04 | Hax x2
- 2014-04-26 | Chillindude x1
- 2013-12-21 | 4% x1
- 2013-12-21 | Taki x1
- 2013-09-08 | SFAT x5
- 2013-09-08 | Eddy Mexico x2
- 2013-08-25 | Fiction x3
- 2013-04-28 | PewPewU x3
- 2013-04-07 | Ice x1
- 2012-07-29 | Bladewise x1
- 2012-05-12 | Westballz x8
- 2011-07-17 | Taj x2
- 2011-02-21 | Cactuar x1
- 2011-01-23 | PPMD x7
- 2010-12-19 | Jman x1
- 2010-11-21 | Hungrybox x47
- 2010-11-21 | KirbyKaze x1
- 2010-10-09 | Shroomed x2
- 2010-08-08 | Eggz x1
- 2010-08-08 | Wobbles x2
- 2010-07-18 | Zhu x2
- 2009-11-22 | Kage the Warrior x2
- 2009-10-24 | Lucky x4
- 2009-07-12 | Armada x29
- 2009-04-04 | SilentSpectre x1
- 2009-01-31 | Fly Amanita x1
- 2008-02-03 | Silent Wolf x2
- 2008-02-03 | Sensei x1
- 2008-02-03 | Plank x1
- 2008-02-03 | Vist x1
- 2007-09-30 | PC Chris x1
- 2007-09-30 | Mew2King x28
- 2007-09-30 | Cort x1
- 2007-08-26 | Ken (Melee player) x1
- 2007-08-26 | HugS x1
- 2007-07-22 | ShadowBTZO x1
- 2007-07-22 | Mike Y x1
- 2007-07-22 | Bob$ x1
Mew2King[edit]
- 2022-11-20 | SFOP x1
- 2021-12-19 | KoDoRiN x1
- 2021-12-17 | Krudo x1
- 2019-11-17 | Captain Faceroll x2
- 2019-10-06 | Zain x1
- 2019-02-03 | Trif x1
- 2018-11-18 | Bananas x2
- 2018-11-10 | PRZ x1
- 2018-11-10 | Slop x1
- 2018-08-05 | Rishi x1
- 2017-08-27 | S2J x1
- 2017-04-09 | Wizzrobe x4
- 2016-08-14 | PewPewU x1
- 2016-06-12 | Swedish Delight x3
- 2016-05-22 | n0ne x3
- 2016-03-19 | Plup x13
- 2016-01-17 | Nintendude x1
- 2016-01-17 | SFAT x4
- 2015-09-19 | Colbol x2
- 2015-02-01 | Leffen x9
- 2014-12-21 | Shroomed x2
- 2014-11-16 | Silent Wolf x3
- 2014-08-03 | Hax x1
- 2014-07-06 | aMSa x3
- 2014-06-15 | Fiction x3
- 2012-11-18 | Ryan Ford x1
- 2011-07-17 | Lucky x2
- 2011-07-17 | Wobbles x5
- 2011-05-29 | Axe x13
- 2011-01-23 | Fly Amanita x1
- 2010-11-21 | PPMD x17
- 2009-09-06 | Hungrybox x49
- 2009-07-12 | Zhu x2
- 2009-07-12 | Armada x26
- 2008-07-20 | Cort x1
- 2008-02-03 | Mang0 x35
- 2007-11-11 | Drephen x1
- 2006-08-27 | KoreanDJ x6
- 2006-06-24 | Isai x1
- 2006-06-24 | Ken (Melee player) x6
- 2006-05-20 | Dope x1
- 2006-05-20 | ChuDat x12
- 2006-05-20 | PC Chris x5
- 2006-04-23 | NEO x1
- 2006-04-23 | Caveman x1
PPMD[edit]
- 2016-03-19 | MacD x1
- 2016-03-19 | Silent Wolf x1
- 2016-03-19 | Westballz x1
- 2015-11-08 | Plup x2
- 2015-11-03 | Frootloop x1
- 2014-06-22 | Leffen x1
- 2013-07-13 | Wobbles x2
- 2012-01-08 | Javi (Melee player) x1
- 2011-11-20 | Mang0 x9
- 2011-07-17 | Shroomed x1
- 2011-07-17 | Fly Amanita x1
- 2011-07-17 | Tope x1
- 2011-07-17 | Taj x1
- 2010-11-21 | KirbyKaze x1
- 2010-08-08 | Armada x13
- 2010-01-18 | Lucky x1
- 2010-01-18 | Axe x1
- 2009-09-06 | Mew2King x5
- 2009-07-26 | Hungrybox x11
- 2009-07-26 | Jman x2
Asterisks[edit]
- Mew2King played only Pichu when he lost to PRZ and Slop at House of Paign 19.
- Armada sandbagged as Young Link when he lost to Trif at Heir II the Throne.
- Armada's loss to SilentSpectre at Pound 4 was likely played with a damage ratio of 0.9.
- PPMD lost to Frootloop at a bar local.
- Hungrybox entered as a different alias and was playing secondaries when he lost one set to Lucky and KoDoRiN, and when he lost to Kero and Komodo. His losses to The Moon and Nintendude were at a charity tournament where he only played Ness. His loss to Salt was played at a charity tournament where Mute City and Corneria were legal, and did not count for rankings.
- Mango was sandbagging (or intoxicated) during his losses to Zhu, Taki, 4%, Glitch, Kalamazhu, dizzkidboogie, Drunksloth, Kels, EastCoastJeff, Venti, and Matteo and one of the set losses versus Fiction, SFAT, n0ne, Taj, and Eddy Mexico.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ArmadaUGS/status/1042123300472799239
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Edwin Budding (2020-06-01). "The Most Dominant Primes of All Time: Part 4". Monday Morning Marth. Melee Stats. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ↑ https://imgur.com/KYiBr9L