When fans tune into a Super Smash Bros. tournament, most of them are going to focus on the main event that has players facing off in one-on-ones. Despite that, Doubles is always a staple of those events and has its own culture and style that is now being threatened by bounty hunters and a dominant duo.
Regardless of the year, there are some players who just dominate Melee Doubles. Sometimes this can be waved away as top players just being good at the game and teaming up with other top players, but Hungrybox has been at the top of that list with a number of partners since 2009.
Since Riptide 2021, when physical events began to return post-pandemic, Hbox has mostly teamed up with Plup when the two attend an event—with the pair winning at basically every turn.
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This was actually a return to form for a classic Doubles pair that dominated on and off from around 2013 until late 2016. Nearly two years after joining up once more, the duo has won five Doubles titles at Major events, adding to seven wins from years past.
On their own, the two had been dominant with other players, but together they became a dominant force, rivaled only by teams like Cody Schwab and Jmook, who have won an impressive four Doubles titles for themselves.
Following Hbox and Plup taking another rather definitive win at Major Upset over the weekend, it appears some Smash fans have had enough of their prolonged, if infrequent, dominance. Melee Stats editor-in-chief Anokh “EdwinBudding” Palakurthi is a known skeptic of the Doubles format and wants to spice things up by providing fuel for competition.
Starting now, Edwin has placed a $1,000 bounty on the head of Hbox and Plup’s Doubles team. Anyone who can take a set off of the pair at any of the next three Majors where they attend will take the money.
Edwin poses that this era of dominance, which includes no dropped sets and a 22-0 record at Genesis 9 for the duo over the last year, is showing no one actually cares about Doubles and it makes things feel stale.
“So many people talk about doubles being exciting and underrated and beautiful and wonderful and blah blah blah it’s all talk,” Edwin said. “The same team has won everything they entered and makes a mockery of everyone else. Hopefully this helps revive the format and motivates people to try.”
With this additional motivation, Edwin is putting some hope in a return to years gone by where top teams like SFAT/PewPewU, Armada/Android, and Plup/Mew2King would trade blows and take sets off of each other in exciting matchups. And if it doesn’t happen at any point over the next three Majors, he will give the money to Hbox and Plup before going back to being a jaded Doubles hater.
Some teams are already getting hyped up about the idea of chasing the bounty, but Hbox has already put some extra stakes down by warning everyone he and Plup might “actually have to try now.”
Expect some of the other great duos like Cody/Jmook, Axe/aMSa, and many others to take up the challenge and practice a bit more for upcoming Doubles matchups.
It is unclear when the first gauntlet will be officially thrown since Plup is currently not attending Battle of BC 5 in May.
Published: Apr 4, 2023 12:22 am