Five Gods

From Liquipedia Smash Wiki

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:

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]

See also: Statistics of Challengers to the Five Gods

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]

Sweden Armada
Adam Lindgren
Breakout
Tournament
GENESIS (2009)
First Major Win GENESIS 2
Last Major Win Super Smash Con 2018
United States Hungrybox
Juan Debiedma
Breakout
Tournament
GENESIS (2009)
First Major Win Revival of Melee 2
Last Major Win Riptide 2022
United States Mango
Joseph Marquez
Breakout
Tournament
EVO 2007
First Major Win Pound 3
Last Major Win Mainstage 2022
United States Mew2King
Jason Zimmerman
Breakout
Tournament
Pound (2006)
First Major Win Cataclysm 3
Last Major Win Smash Summit 6
United States PPMD
Kevin Nanney
Falco Marth
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]

Mango[edit]

Asterisks[edit]

References[edit]

  1. https://twitter.com/ArmadaUGS/status/1042123300472799239
  2. 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.
  3. https://imgur.com/KYiBr9L