It’s often said within the Smash community that Melee is the game that refuses to die. Enduring Nintendo’s cold shoulder, evolving past the need for old hardware, and even boasting a more robust online experience than newer, fancier Smash games, the 20-year-old fighter still produces memorable moments each tournament.<\/p>\n
Genesis, an event that gave birth to some of Melee’s more iconic beats throughout its history, returned after a two-year hiatus, giving birth to perhaps one of the most incredible underdog stories the scene has ever seen, that of Jake “Jmook” DiRado.<\/p>\n
The North American Sheik main has been competing sporadically since 2016, but rarely with any consistency that led to astonishing results these past years. That is, until very recently.<\/p>\n
Jmook started catching the attention of dedicated Melee enthusiasts with his showing at the Smash World Tour, placing 13th, and later at Gigaschwab 2, where he finished 4th taking Melee God Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma to a game five in an ultimately losing effort. <\/p>\n Seeded 21st for Genesis 8, Jmook was projected to have a decent bracket run, however, still far away from matching against the top competitors that have become synonymous with Melee for the past years. <\/p>\n Jmook stunned the community during his Top 64 match against Genesis5 champion Justin “Plup” McGrath. A proficient Sheik of his own, Plup went Fox the entire set, unable to match Jmook’s incredible reactions, with pristine tech chases to extend the damage as much as possible.<\/p>\n