Don’t Park on the Grass is the last chance for a number of top Super Smash Bros. Melee players to improve their rankings before the 2019 ranks are voted on. With over 500 Melee players heading to Seattle, this event is sending 2018 Melee off on a high note.
Zain “Zain” Naghmi is the only top ten player in attendance this weekend. A win could be enough to surpass Joseph “Mango” Marquez for the sixth rank. This would be the perfect capstone to Zain’s year of overthrowing the hierarchy of Melee.
To do so, he’ll likely have to face one of Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby or Johnny “S2J” Kim. Captain Falcon has given Zain trouble in 2018. He’s been knocked out of a number of events, including Genesis 5 and CEO 2018, by Justin “Wizzrobe” Hallett.
This event feels eerily similar to events like The Gang Hosts a Melee Tournament and The Roast of Hugo Gonzalez. All have been smaller events compared to super-majors and Zain was or is the best bet to win each. At The Roast and The Gang, Zain was double-eliminated by Falcon mains. Zain will have to slay that demon in order to win Don’t Park on the Grass.
Where young players rise, veterans must fall and Zach “SFAT” Cordoni has been one of those veterans. Voters ranked SFAT outside of tenth for the first time since 2014. With a quiet second half of the year, Jeffery “Axe” Williamson, who currently holds the number ten spot, may have left the door open for SFAT to claim his rank with a win this weekend. To do so, he’ll likely have to best Zain, who he has an unfavorable record against this year.
S2J has also dropped out of the top ten, but he resided there for just six months. If he wants to earn his spot among Melee’s, back-to-back wins at The Roast may be enough.
Every year has its share of Ice Climbers players who make strides in what seems like very little time. This year’s Ice Climber new-comer has been Connor “Bananas” Lamb, who put on a show at Summit, defeating two gods of the game and taking William “Leffen” Hjelte to a fifth game. Bananas can cement himself as more than just an Icy on a hot streak with a win in the Northwest.
n0ne will compete under the Allegiance banner one last time. Allegiance signed nearly two years ago to the day. On their anniversary, n0ne will have the honor of being the last esports competitor to play for Allegiance, who are closing their doors at the end of the year.
Here’s to hoping that n0ne can give Allegiance the sendoff they deserve.
The Washington Power Ranking features two ranked players: Ka-Master, one of the best Luigi players in the past decade, and Bladewise, another old-school player and the number-one ranked player in the state. Both will look to put on a show for their hometown on the biggest stage Washington has to offer.
One final point to note is that a number of Melee players are registered to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which will have its first major event at Don’t Park on the Grass. Some of the best bets to take home the crown in Melee – like Zain, SFAT, n0ne, and Bananas – will also be playing Ultimate. Other top Melee talents, including James “Swedish Delight” Liu and Hugo “Hugs” Gonzalez, are expected to play as well.
Ultimate may not be in the competitive future for any of these players but Don’t Park on the Grass will give them a chance to show off their talent across Smash Bros. titles.
Melee and Ultimate will kick off Saturday at 10 am PST. and can be found on twitch.tv/endgametv1, twitch.tv/endgametv2 and twitch.tv/vgbootcamp!. Be sure to check back into The Game Haus for a recap shortly after Don’t Park on the Grass wraps up.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Kyle!
You can follow Kyle @ffkylethekid where he tweets about fantasy football, Overwatch, and Smash.
If you enjoyed what you read, please consider contributing to our Patreon account!
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
