iBDW wins Summit 13, dedicates victory to father's cancer battle

Smash Summit 13 was far from a smooth experience for both attendees and viewers, as a small COVID-19 spell forced the organisers to reshuffle the bracket for the final day, due to several players having to DQ.

Regardless, the high-intensity Smash Melee we've come to know and love was present throughout every day of the event, with Panda's own Cody "iBDW" Schwab becoming a back-to-back Summit winner, beating fellow Panda Justin "Plup" McGrath in the grand finals.

Victory for iBDW came at a time in which he is dealing with personal issues involving his dad's health, as he revealed days earlier before the main Summit bracket started. "The last three months my dads had progressively worse lung cancer which spread to his brain after a series of strokes," Schwab wrote on Twitter this past 13th May.

The Fox main also stated that, while trying to help his dad during this dire situation, the rest of his family has simply seized the opportunity to take advantage of his deteriorating health. 

"The past month his condition got substantially worse to the point of near-death around pound [Smash tournament], and I had family members attempt to sign a DNR (do not resuscitate) order behind my back without consulting me at all. While he was in the hospital, someone visited him and stole his wallet, went to his house, stole his cars, laptops, and a lot of cash."

Admitting to being under a severe amount of stress, iBDW went on to play the final Smash Summit 13 bracket with nothing to lose, earning himself a spot on Top 8 winners' side after beating Golden Guardians' Edgard "n0ne" L. Sheleby.

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From there, Schwab avoided being the victim of a very upset-filled Summit 13, with the likes of Zain Naghmi and William "Leffen" Hjelte losing to up-and-coming Sheik sensation Jake "Jmook" DiRado, bowing down at 5th and 9th respectively. Joseph "Mang0" Marquez, who previously announced he'll be taking a break from competitive Melee after Summit, also place lower than expected, losing to John "KoDoRiN" Ko for 9th.

iBDW went on to beat the aforementioned Jmook and Melee God Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma on his road to grand finals winners side, where he faced Plup, whose participation on the final day was in doubt until the last second. The 28-year-old DQ from qualifying rounds on Saturday due to feeling COVID symptoms despite testing negative.

It was a thrilling set between two players repping the same organisation, Panda Global, both dealing with physical and mental issues outside the pressure to perform at the highest level. While Plup took a commanding 2-0 lead in the Fox dittos, iBDW's composure helped him secure a reverse 3-0 when all signs pointed to a bracket reset.

Once iBDW secured his win, he gave an emotional speech to everyone at the venue and those watching at home, dedicating this new triumph to his father.

"I had to sign a DNR yesterday morning, he's said he's done fighting cancer. I've been trying to take care of him. At the risk of sounding too emotional, I just want to say I love you, dad, I'll miss you, glad we were connected. I hope you were able enough to watch this."

Smash Summit 13 - Final placements 

The final bracket results can be seen down below:

• 1st.- iBDW
• 2nd.- Plup
• 3rd.- Hungrybox
• 4th.- Jmook
• 5th.- Zain & Llod
• 7th.- KoDoRin & n0ne
• 9th.- Mang0, Salt, Frenzy Leffen
• 13th.- Mekk, Blue, Sora, DarkGenex

For more on all things Smash Melee, check out our dedicated section filled with news, tournament results, and more.

Featured image courtesy of BeyondTheSummit.