Editing Smasher:MkLeo

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Warning You aren't logged in. While it's not a requirement to create an account, doing so makes it a lot easier to keep track of your edits and a lot harder to confuse you with someone else. If you edit without being logged in, your IP address will be recorded in the page's edit history.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.

Latest revision Your text
Line 12: Line 12:
| mainssbu        = Joker
| mainssbu        = Joker
| otherssbu      = Byleth
| otherssbu      = Byleth
| 2ndotherssbu    = Pyra
| 2ndotherssbu    = R.O.B.
| moreotherssbu  = {{SSBU|Mythra}}, {{SSBU|Meta Knight}}
| moreotherssbu  = {{SSBU|Pyra}}, {{SSBU|Mythra}}<!--Please do not add Roy until Leo wins more sets with the character-->
| retiredssbu    = Corrin
| retiredssbu    = Corrin
| 2ndretiredssbu  = Ike
| 2ndretiredssbu  = Ike
Line 28: Line 28:
| former crews    = Hydra Team, Rampage Zone, HDG, {{Team|Smash Factor}}
| former crews    = Hydra Team, Rampage Zone, HDG, {{Team|Smash Factor}}
| rankingssb4    = [[PGR 100|Panda Global Rankings 100]]: 3rd
| rankingssb4    = [[PGR 100|Panda Global Rankings 100]]: 3rd
| rankingssbu    = [[LumiRank 2024.1]]: 25th
| rankingssbu    = [[LumiRank 2023]]: 11th
| bestrankingssb4 = [[PGR v5]]: 1st
| bestrankingssb4 = [[PGR v5]]: 1st
| bestrankingssbu = [[OrionRank 2022]]: 1st
| bestrankingssbu = [[OrionRank 2022]]: 1st
Line 44: Line 44:
{{art-wikipedia|MkLeo}}
{{art-wikipedia|MkLeo}}


'''MkLeo''', also known simply as '''Leo''', is a smasher from Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico, who previously lived in Florida, United States, and is currently living in Mexico City. He is the greatest ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' player [[Greatest of all time#In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|of all time]] due to his dominance in the first few years of offline ''Ultimate'', which included his top 2 streak at every offline tournament he attended between {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}} in May 2019 and {{Trn|Smash World Tour 2021 Championships}} in December 2021. Originally playing {{SSBU|Ike}}, he later found tournament success with {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Wolf}} before picking up {{SSBU|Joker}} shortly after the character's release. Although he briefly struggled during the online metagame, he eventually found consistent success after picking up {{SSBU|Byleth}}, as well as {{SSBU|Pyra}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}} following their release, and has since used a combination of Joker, Byleth, and the Aegis in offline play, while maintaining several other characters as counterpicks.
'''MkLeo''', also known simply as '''Leo''', is a smasher from Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico, who previously lived in Florida, United States, and is currently living in Mexico City. He is the greatest ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' player [[Greatest of all time#In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|of all time]] due to his dominance in the first few years of offline ''Ultimate'', which included his top 2 streak at every offline tournament he attended between {{Trn|MomoCon 2019}} in May 2019 and {{Trn|Smash World Tour 2021 Championships}} in December 2021. He is currently ranked 11th on [[LumiRank 2023]] and was formerly ranked 1st on the [[Mexican Power Rankings|Mexican Ultimate Power Rankings]]. Originally playing {{SSBU|Ike}}, he later found tournament success with {{SSBU|Lucina}} and {{SSBU|Wolf}} before picking up {{SSBU|Joker}} shortly after the character's release. Although he briefly struggled during the online metagame, he eventually found consistent success after picking up {{SSBU|Byleth}}, as well as {{SSBU|Pyra}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}} following their release, leading him to be ranked 5th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7]]. He has since used a comination of Joker, Byleth, and the Aegis in offline play, while maintaining other characters as counterpicks.


In {{forwiiu}}, MkLeo played {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Cloud}}, with {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, {{SSB4|Meta Knight}}, {{SSB4|Lucina}}, and {{SSB4|Corrin}} as secondaries. He is his country's best player, ranking 1st on the final [[Mexican Power Rankings|Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings]], and was considered to be the best player in the world in 2018 after {{Sm|ZeRo}}'s retirement as well as one of the best ''Smash 4'' players of all time, ranking 3rd on the [[PGR 100|Panda Global Rankings 100]]. He is also widely considered the best Marth and Cloud player in the world, one of the best Lucina and Bayonetta players in the world, and formerly considered one of the best Corrin players and the best Meta Knight player prior to dropping both characters. Leo arguably popularized both Meta Knight and Marth, characters that had been seen as mediocre after their nerfs from ''[[Brawl]]'', as top players such as {{Sm|Abadango}} have since used Meta Knight against other top players until later updates nerfed the character, as well as lower-leveled players picking up Marth due to his dominance with him. He is the youngest player to win a major ''Smash 4'' tournament, doing so at only 15 years old, achieving this feat at {{Trn|2GGT: ZeRo Saga}}. Due to his aggressive style and heavy punish game with Meta Knight and proving his skills surpass those of top players at a very young age, some compare him to {{Sm|Nairo}}'s early ''Brawl'' career.
In {{forwiiu}}, MkLeo played {{SSB4|Marth}} and {{SSB4|Cloud}}, with {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, {{SSB4|Meta Knight}}, {{SSB4|Lucina}}, and {{SSB4|Corrin}} as secondaries. He is his country's best player, ranking 1st on the final [[Mexican Power Rankings|Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings]], and was considered to be the best player in the world in 2018 after {{Sm|ZeRo}}'s retirement as well as one of the best ''Smash 4'' players of all time, ranking 3rd on the [[PGR 100|Panda Global Rankings 100]]. He is also widely considered the best Marth and Cloud player in the world, one of the best Lucina and Bayonetta players in the world, and formerly considered one of the best Corrin players and the best Meta Knight player prior to dropping both characters. Leo arguably popularized both Meta Knight and Marth, characters that had been seen as mediocre after their nerfs from ''[[Brawl]]'', as top players such as {{Sm|Abadango}} have since used Meta Knight against other top players until later updates nerfed the character, as well as lower-leveled players picking up Marth due to his dominance with him. He is the youngest player to win a major ''Smash 4'' tournament, doing so at only 15 years old, achieving this feat at {{Trn|2GGT: ZeRo Saga}}. Due to his aggressive style and heavy punish game with Meta Knight and proving his skills surpass those of top players at a very young age, some compare him to {{Sm|Nairo}}'s early ''Brawl'' career.
Line 69: Line 69:
==Tournament history==
==Tournament history==
===Mexico's Prodigy===
===Mexico's Prodigy===
MkLeo's tournament record before ''Smash 4'' is relatively unknown, though it was implied that he has been playing competitively since 2008. One of his earliest known tournaments was Anime Expo Mexico TNT 2009, and although he did not win, he managed to defeat the best player in Mexico City.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/EsportsArath/status/888138837943365633|title=Anime Expo Mexico TNT 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ArathGG/status/1515954970574663681|title=Addendum on Leo's run at Anime Expo Mexico}}</ref> 5 years later, he attended [[Smash Factor 3]] in ''Project M'' singles, losing to his cousin {{Sm|Serge}} in winners finals, but defeating {{Sm|Ally}} in losers finals. He lost to Serge again in grand finals to place 2nd.
 
MkLeo's tournament record before ''Smash 4'' is relatively unknown, though it was implied that he has been playing competitively since 2008. His first tournament victory came at Anime Expo Mexico TNT 2009, with him being only 8 years of age at the time.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/EsportsArath/status/888138837943365633|title=MkLeo's first victory}}</ref> 5 years later, he attended [[Smash Factor 3]] in ''Project M'' singles, losing to his cousin {{Sm|Serge}} in winners finals, but defeating {{Sm|Ally}} in losers finals. He lost to Serge again in grand finals to place 2nd.


In ''Smash 4'', MkLeo began as a {{SSB4|Meta Knight}} main. Despite the character's unpopularity due to the nerfs from ''Brawl'', MkLeo quickly became known as the best player in Mexico. He gained international fame in the ''Smash'' scene when he won {{Trn|Smash Factor 4}}, Mexico's largest {{forwiiu}} tournament at the time, and defeated {{Trn|EVO 2015}} runner-up {{Sm|Mr.R}} in Grand Finals 3-1, 2-stocking him in each game he won to everyone's surprise. Although Smash Factor 4 was the only PGR tournament he attended that season, he was ranked 19th for the [[Panda Global Rankings v1|first Panda Global Rankings]] due to his performance. Later in the year, he would defeat {{Sm|Vinnie}} 3-1 in Grand Finals at {{Trn|True Combo}}, further proving his capabilities as a player. His victories not only created more interest in the Mexican ''Smash'' scene, but also helped popularize Meta Knight.
In ''Smash 4'', MkLeo began as a {{SSB4|Meta Knight}} main. Despite the character's unpopularity due to the nerfs from ''Brawl'', MkLeo quickly became known as the best player in Mexico. He gained international fame in the ''Smash'' scene when he won {{Trn|Smash Factor 4}}, Mexico's largest {{forwiiu}} tournament at the time, and defeated {{Trn|EVO 2015}} runner-up {{Sm|Mr.R}} in Grand Finals 3-1, 2-stocking him in each game he won to everyone's surprise. Although Smash Factor 4 was the only PGR tournament he attended that season, he was ranked 19th for the [[Panda Global Rankings v1|first Panda Global Rankings]] due to his performance. Later in the year, he would defeat {{Sm|Vinnie}} 3-1 in Grand Finals at {{Trn|True Combo}}, further proving his capabilities as a player. His victories not only created more interest in the Mexican ''Smash'' scene, but also helped popularize Meta Knight.
Line 117: Line 118:


===Online era===
===Online era===
Leo's first tournament of 2020 was {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} where he tried to defend his three-year winning streak. He was initially sent into Loser's bracket by {{Sm|Samsora}} in a game 5 set during top 8 and, after fighting through several top players, lost to Marss 0-3 in Grand Finals, ending the streak. He would bounce back next month with his victory at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}. Although he was upset 0-3 by {{Sm|Prodigy}} in winners Top 96, he tore through the Loser's bracket, defeating the likes of {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, Samsora, {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Zackray}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, {{Sm|Tea}}, and {{Sm|Tweek}} to reach Grand Finals; the sets against Zackray, Tweek and Tea went to game 5, with Tweek being a reverse 3-0 and Tea going last hit. In Grand Finals, he 6-0'd Maister to win the whole tournament, famously choosing {{SSBU|Byleth}} for the final game.
Leo's first tournament of 2020 was {{Trn|GENESIS 7}} where he tried to defend his three-year winning streak. He was initially sent into Loser's bracket by {{Sm|Samsora}} in a game 5 set during top 8 and, after fighting through several top players, lost to Marss 0-3 in Grand Finals, ending the streak. He would bounce back next month with his victory at {{Trn|Frostbite 2020}}. Although he was upset 0-3 by {{Sm|Prodigy}} in winners Top 96, he tore through the Loser's bracket, defeating the likes of {{Sm|Salem}}, {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}, Samsora, {{Sm|Nairo}}, {{Sm|Zackray}}, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, {{Sm|Tea}}, and {{Sm|Tweek}} to reach Grand Finals; many of these sets went to game 5, including a reverse 3-0 on Tweek and a last-hit scenario with Tea. In Grand Finals, he 6-0'd Maister to win the whole tournament, famously choosing {{SSBU|Byleth}} for the final game.


With the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] shutting down tournaments worldwide, MkLeo began to participate in online tournaments. However, he quickly realized that Joker performed noticeably worse online and attempted to find a new online main, using Byleth, Lucina, Cloud, Wolf, and Greninja throughout the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5]] season. At the start of the season, MkLeo would struggle to place top 8 at major online tournaments, falling to Wi-Fi Warriors such as {{Sm|IcyMist}}, {{Sm|BestNess}}, {{Sm|Epic_Gabriel}}, and {{Sm|Kola}}, as well as other players such as {{Sm|Hungrybox}} and rat. He also developed a bracket demon in {{Sm|Sonix}}, who held an 8-2 record over him by the end of the season. He would match his worst offline placement twice, first at {{Trn|The Box}}, losing to {{Sm|Jw}} and Prodigy, and then at [https://start.gg/tournament/the-box-juice-box-8/details The Box: Juice Box 8], losing to {{Sm|GamingHI9x9}} and {{Sm|AoS}}.
With the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] shutting down tournaments worldwide, MkLeo began to participate in online tournaments. However, he quickly realized that Joker performed noticeably worse online and attempted to find a new online main, using Byleth, Lucina, Cloud, Wolf, and Greninja throughout the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5]] season. At the start of the season, MkLeo would struggle to place top 8 at major online tournaments, falling to Wi-Fi Warriors such as {{Sm|IcyMist}}, {{Sm|BestNess}}, {{Sm|Epic_Gabriel}}, and {{Sm|Kola}}, as well as other players such as {{Sm|Hungrybox}} and rat. He also developed a bracket demon in {{Sm|Sonix}}, who held an 8-2 record over him by the end of the season. He would match his worst offline placement twice, first at {{Trn|The Box}}, losing to {{Sm|Jw}} and Prodigy, and then at [https://start.gg/tournament/the-box-juice-box-8/details The Box: Juice Box 8], losing to {{Sm|GamingHI9x9}} and {{Sm|AoS}}.
Line 157: Line 158:
After MkLeo's most fragile year yet, he began working on ways to keep his hold on the throne. The most notable change was his character lineup, as MkLeo swapped out his {{SSBU|Byleth}} for his former main {{SSBU|Joker}} while maintaining many other characters as secondaries. He put this Joker to use at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2023}}, but the choice initially backfired, as after being defeated by {{Sm|Tweek}}, he stubbornly stuck with the character against {{Sm|Sonix}}, resulting in his first ever loss to his former online bracket demon, ending his run at 4th. Nevertheless, he stuck with his character choices in {{Trn|GENESIS 9}}. Although he used Joker for most of the tournament, he pulled out {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} against {{Sm|Justice|p=Washington}} to barely clutch out a 3-2 victory, and used {{SSBU|Pyra}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}} against Sonix, where despite going down 2-0, MkLeo managed to reverse the bracket and redeem his previous loss. Although he did also pull out his Byleth, it ultimately cost MkLeo his set to {{Sm|MuteAce}}, who defeated the Byleth in the first 2 games and took a win over the Joker in the fourth, knocking MkLeo into Loser Finals. Following yet another reverse 3-0, this time against {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, MkLeo stuck with the Joker for all 2 sets against MuteAce, and despite MuteAce surviving to high percents for almost every game, MkLeo was able to defeat MuteAce twice, claiming his fifth ever GENESIS title.  
After MkLeo's most fragile year yet, he began working on ways to keep his hold on the throne. The most notable change was his character lineup, as MkLeo swapped out his {{SSBU|Byleth}} for his former main {{SSBU|Joker}} while maintaining many other characters as secondaries. He put this Joker to use at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2023}}, but the choice initially backfired, as after being defeated by {{Sm|Tweek}}, he stubbornly stuck with the character against {{Sm|Sonix}}, resulting in his first ever loss to his former online bracket demon, ending his run at 4th. Nevertheless, he stuck with his character choices in {{Trn|GENESIS 9}}. Although he used Joker for most of the tournament, he pulled out {{SSBU|R.O.B.}} against {{Sm|Justice|p=Washington}} to barely clutch out a 3-2 victory, and used {{SSBU|Pyra}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}} against Sonix, where despite going down 2-0, MkLeo managed to reverse the bracket and redeem his previous loss. Although he did also pull out his Byleth, it ultimately cost MkLeo his set to {{Sm|MuteAce}}, who defeated the Byleth in the first 2 games and took a win over the Joker in the fourth, knocking MkLeo into Loser Finals. Following yet another reverse 3-0, this time against {{Sm|Light|p=Connecticut}}, MkLeo stuck with the Joker for all 2 sets against MuteAce, and despite MuteAce surviving to high percents for almost every game, MkLeo was able to defeat MuteAce twice, claiming his fifth ever GENESIS title.  


However, GENESIS proved to be an outlier for his season, as MkLeo followed it up with his worst performances since the early metagame: 9th place finishes at {{Trn|Collision 2023}}, {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 6}}, and {{Trn|Get On My Level 2023}} -- with more losses than wins at Summit -- as well as a 13th place finish at {{Trn|Battle of BC 5}}. His record against {{Sm|Tweek}}, {{Sm|Riddles}}, and {{Sm|Glutonny}} continued to worsen as they became three of his biggest bracket demons, with Riddles notably defeating him 3-0 at both Collision and Summit. Furthermore, MkLeo began dropping more sets to players outside of the top 10, including to {{Sm|ShinyMark}} at Collision, {{Sm|ApolloKage}} at Summit, and {{Sm|Jakal}} at {{Trn|Crown the Third}}. Conversely, his record against the top 10 worsened, as for the first half of 2023 he not only had a losing record against his three bracket demons but also a losing record {{Sm|acola}} and an even record with {{Sm|Sparg0}}, with acola soundly defeating MkLeo at Summit and Sparg0 double-eliminating MkLeo at {{Trn|MAJOR UPSET}}, which marked the first ''Ultimate'' major that MkLeo lost from the Winner's side of Grand Finals. These performances were also hindered by MkLeo's continued character crisis, from adding {{SSBU|Meta Knight}} to his lineup at Summit to sticking to only the Aegis and Byleth for MAJOR UPSET and Crown, to returning to Joker at Get On My Level. Due to his underwhelming major performances and poor record against players in the top 10, most players stopped considering MkLeo for the season's top 3, let alone the best player in the world. This was ultimately reflected in his final placement on the [[LumiRank Mid-Year 2023]], where he fell all the way down to 7th, the first time he was not ranked in the top 5 since the [[PGR v2]].
However, GENESIS proved to be an outlier for his season, as MkLeo followed it up with his worst performances since the early metagame: 9th place finishes at {{Trn|Collision 2023}}, {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 6}}, and {{Trn|Get On My Level 2023}} -- with more losses than wins at Summit -- as well as a 13th place finish at {{Trn|Battle of BC 5}}. His record against Tweek, {{Sm|Riddles}}, and {{Sm|Glutonny}} continued to worsen as they became three of his biggest bracket demons, with Riddles notably defeating him 3-0 at both Collision and Summit. Furthermore, MkLeo began dropping more sets to players outside of the top 10, including to {{Sm|ShinyMark}} at Collision, {{Sm|ApolloKage}} at Summit, and {{Sm|Jakal}} at {{Trn|Crown the Third}}. Conversely, his record against the top 10 worsened, as for the first half of 2023 he not only had a losing record against his three bracket demons but also a losing record {{Sm|acola}} and an even record with {{Sm|Sparg0}}, with acola soundly defeating MkLeo at Summit and Sparg0 double-eliminating MkLeo at {{Trn|MAJOR UPSET}}, which marked the first ''Ultimate'' major that MkLeo lost from the Winner's side of Grand Finals. These performances were also hindered by MkLeo's continued character crisis, from adding {{SSBU|Meta Knight}} to his lineup at Summit to sticking to only the Aegis and Byleth for MAJOR UPSET and Crown, to returning to Joker at Get On My Level. Due to his underwhelming major performances and poor record against players in the top 10, most players stopped considering MkLeo for the season's top 3, let alone the best player in the world. This was ultimately reflected in his final placement on the [[LumiRank Mid-Year 2023]], where he fell all the way down to 7th, the first time he was not ranked in the top 5 since the [[PGR v2]].
 
Following this season, MkLeo decided to take a step back from competing to focus on his personal life, opting to only attend events in Mexico until October. He attended a few events during this time, including the supermajor {{Trn|Smash Factor X}} and the major {{Trn|Delfino Maza 2023}}. His performance at these events, however, were also rather underwhelming; aside from winning two superregionals, MkLeo underperformed at most of the events he attended. For example, Smash Factor X marked the first Smash Factor event since {{Trn|Smash Factor 2013}} where he didn't make Grand Finals, as he ultimately placed 5th. In addition, this period saw MkLeo gain his first-ever unranked loss, losing to {{Sm|SuperDog}} 2-1 at {{Trn|Hooters Universidad Smash Ultimate}}, a regional event where he ultimately placed 4th.  


===Further inconsistency===
Little seemed to change once October came, as the next three majors were by far the worst of MkLeo's slump. The first was at {{Trn|Rise 'N Grind 2023}}, where after losing 3-0 to {{Sm|Skinny the Pooh}} in an infamous upset, MkLeo ran into Riddles in Loser's Round 4. Despite pulling out Marth, who he used to defeat Riddles previously, Riddles won the set 3-2, eliminating MkLeo at 17th. This trend would continue at {{Trn|Luminosity Makes Moves Miami 2023}}, as MkLeo would lose yet another set to a {{SSBU|Mario}} player, this time to {{Sm|Kurama}}, before losing 3-1 to {{Sm|SHADIC}} for 13th. Finally, at {{Trn|Port Priority 8}} he lost to rising star {{Sm|Kaninabe}} 3-2 before losing to MuteAce in the runback 3-0 to place 17th yet again. A recurring theme in these sets were MkLeo's choice of characters: for example, his loss to Skinny the Pooh was with Joker, a character known to struggle against Mario. His loss to Kurama was surprisingly with {{SSBU|Marth}} and {{SSBU|Lucina}}, it’s unknown as to why he did not opt for {{SSBU|Byleth}} or {{SSBU|Aegis}} which it what he used previously to take three sets off of him. Lastly, his loss to MuteAce was with Byleth even though MuteAce had soundly defeated MkLeo's Byleth beforehand. As such, many began to question MkLeo's character roster and whether he was juggling too many characters at the same time. In fact, many players also began questioning whether MkLeo was anywhere near the top 10 that season, let alone in the top 10.
In the following season, MkLeo decided to take a step back from competing to focus on his personal life, opting to only attend events in Mexico until October. He attended a few events during this time, including the supermajor {{Trn|Smash Factor X}} and the major {{Trn|Delfino Maza 2023}}. His performance at these events remained underwhelming; aside from winning two superregionals, MkLeo underperformed at most of the events he attended. For example, Smash Factor X marked the first Smash Factor event since {{Trn|Smash Factor 2013}} where he didn't make Grand Finals, as he ultimately placed 5th. In addition, this period saw MkLeo take his first unranked loss since the early metagame, losing to {{Sm|SuperDog}} 2-1 at {{Trn|Hooters Universidad Smash Ultimate}}, a regional event where he ultimately placed 4th.  


Little seemed to change once October came, as the next three majors were by far the worst of MkLeo's year. The first was at {{Trn|Rise 'N Grind 2023}}, where after losing 3-0 to {{Sm|Skinny the Pooh}} in an infamous upset, MkLeo ran into Riddles in Loser's Round 4. Despite pulling out Marth, who he used to defeat Riddles previously, Riddles won the set 3-2, eliminating MkLeo at 17th. This trend continued at {{Trn|Luminosity Makes Moves Miami 2023}}, as MkLeo lost yet another set to a {{SSBU|Mario}} player, this time to {{Sm|Kurama}}, before losing 3-1 to {{Sm|SHADIC}} for 13th. Finally, at {{Trn|Port Priority 8}} he lost to rising star {{Sm|Kaninabe}} 3-2 before losing to MuteAce in the runback 3-0 to place 17th yet again. The series of mediocre performances led many players to question whether MkLeo was anywhere near the top 10 that season, let alone in the top 10.
There was still some hope left, as aside from a disappointing {{Trn|Sunrise 2023}} run, where he placed 9th losing to {{Sm|KID}} and {{Sm|Supahsemmie}}, MkLeo managed to clean up his game and saw a small resurgence in the last few weeks of the season. First, his trip to Europe saw him attend the major {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2023}}, and his performance marked MkLeo's best performance in months. After falling to {{Sm|NaetorU}} while using {{SSBU|Lucina}}, MkLeo ran through the Loser's bracket, surviving game 5 sets against {{Sm|BassMage}} and {{Sm|Tarik}} and defeating the tournament's #1 seed {{Sm|Tea}} before falling to {{Sm|Raflow}} for 4th. Although on one hand this was the first European event he failed to win, on the other hand MkLeo's win over Tea marked his first top 20 win since Sonix at Wavedash 2023. In addition, MkLeo's performance at the final major of the year, {{Trn|Watch The Throne}}, was equally as solid. Although his first two days were rough, where he defeated {{Sm|KEN}} but lost to Sonix, {{Sm|Lui$}}, and {{Sm|Sparg0}} in the Gauntlet to start on the Loser's side, MkLeo managed to defeat ApolloKage and {{Sm|Dabuz}} before losing to KEN in the runback for 7th. Despite this placement, MkLeo once again claimed a few top 20 wins. These two runs convinced players that MkLeo could see a potential comeback in the future: despite underperforming and ultimately finishing 11th on the [[LumiRank 2023]], many players were confident that MkLeo could regain his former glory, especially after he announced his motivation returning for the game.


A recurring theme in these losing sets were MkLeo's choice of characters. His loss to Skinny the Pooh was with Joker, a character known to struggle against Mario, while his loss to Kurama was with his secondary {{SSBU|Marth}} and retired main {{SSBU|Lucina}}, leading players to question why he didn't just use {{SSBU|Byleth}} or {{SSBU|Aegis}}, characters MkLeo used to defeat Mario players in the past. In addition, his chose to MuteAce with Byleth even though MuteAce had soundly defeated MkLeo's Byleth beforehand. As such, many also began to question whether he was juggling too many characters at the same time.
===Return to Form?===


There was still some hope left, as aside from a disappointing {{Trn|Sunrise 2023}} run, where he placed 9th losing to {{Sm|KID}} and {{Sm|Supahsemmie}}, MkLeo managed to clean up his game and saw a small resurgence in the last few weeks of the season. First, his trip to Europe saw him attend the major {{Trn|Ultimate Fighting Arena 2023}}, and his performance marked MkLeo's best performance in months. After falling to {{Sm|NaetorU}} while using Lucina, MkLeo ran through the Loser's bracket, surviving game 5 sets against {{Sm|BassMage}} and {{Sm|Tarik}} and defeating the tournament's #1 seed {{Sm|Tea}} before falling to {{Sm|Raflow}} for 4th. Although this was the first European event he failed to win, on the other hand MkLeo's win over Tea marked his first top 20 win since Sonix at Wavedash 2023. In addition, MkLeo's performance at the final major of the year, {{Trn|Watch The Throne}}, was just as solid. Although his first two days were rough, where he defeated {{Sm|KEN}} but lost to Sonix, {{Sm|Lui$}}, and {{Sm|Sparg0}} in the Gauntlet to start on the Loser's side, MkLeo managed to defeat ApolloKage and {{Sm|Dabuz}} before losing to KEN in the runback for 7th. Despite this placement, MkLeo once again claimed a few top 20 wins. These two runs convinced players that MkLeo could see a potential comeback in the future: despite underperforming and ultimately finishing 11th on the [[LumiRank 2023]], many players were confident that MkLeo could regain his former glory, especially after he announced his motivation returning for the game.
When 2024 rolled around, MkLeo attended {{Trn|Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024}} and had a solid run there. He collected wins over players, such as {{Sm|omega}} in the Joker ditto, {{SSBU|Wii Fit Trainer}} player {{Sm|Oolong}}, and Sparg0 to make top 8 winners side. There he had to face his longtime rival in a runback from the last LMBM in the previous year in Tweek. The latter wins the set 3-1 and sends MkLeo to the losers bracket to face off against Maister and defeats him in a clean 3-0. He then had a rematch with Sparg0 in losers but this time Sparg0 won the runback 3-2, ending Leo's run to place 4th. This tournament has brought back MkLeo's spark and motivation to try and become the best player in the world once again.


Unfortunately, the following season saw MkLeo's performances become inconsistent once again. Starting on a positive note, MkLeo had several great performances that reminded players why he was considered the best for a long time: he started it off the year with a good performance at {{Trn|Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024}}, where he defeated Sparg0 to place 4th. In addition, his saw his best performance of the year at {{Trn|King Con}}, where he defeated Raflow and Sparg0 twice to win the event, marking his first major win since GENESIS 9. Finally, he saw additional strong runs at the superregional {{Trn|Bonito Harbor}} and the supermajor {{Trn|Collision 2024}}, events where he was able to claim several solid wins.
{{Trn|GENESIS X}} was one of the biggest events of the year and all eyes and attention were on MkLeo, since he is the player that has won every iteration of GENESIS for Ultimate, with the exception of {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}. Unfortunately, this weekend was not the best for Leo, as he lost 1-2 in Round 1 Pools to a Norcal {{SSBU|Ken}} main named {{Sm|Titan}} in an upset factor 9. Despite making a losers run, beating players, such as {{Sm|MPg}}, {{Sm|Justice}} and {{Sm|Zinoto}}, he would ultimately fall to the best Ness player in the world {{Sm|Gackt}} 1-3, who was also in the midst of a strong losers run. MkLeo would then place 25th. This marks not only MkLeo's worst placement in the post-pandemic era but also the first time he didn't make the Grand Finals or Top 8 at a GENESIS event.


However, these positives failed to balance out MkLeo's lows, some of which were arguably the worst performances of his entire ''Ultimate'' career. He followed LMBM with a disastrous performance at {{Trn|GENESIS X}}, where he was infamously upset in pools by {{Sm|Titan}} 2-1. Despite making a strong Loser's run, he was ultimately eliminated by {{Sm|Gackt}} 3-1 to place 25th, the first GENESIS event where he failed to make Grand Finals, much less win the event. Further hurting his season was his second-ever trip to Japan: although he arguably performed better than his last trip, he still failed to make top 8 at both Golden Week supermajors, placing 9th at {{Trn|DELTA 8}} and 25th at {{Trn|Kagaribi 12}}; yet another infamous set took place at the latter event, where MkLeo saw himself get reverse three-stocked twice in his set against {{Sm|Snow|p=Japan}}, further cementing Mario as one of his worst characters to fight against. Finally, his performances in North America remained incredibly mixed, as he had underwhelming runs at the major {{Trn|Battle of BC 6}}, the superregional {{Trn|Diamond Dust}} and a relatively poor run at a major invitational {{Trn|The Luminosity Invitational}}, where he ultimately went 2-3 defeating only {{Sm|Dabuz}} and {{Sm|Hungrybox}}. Diamond Dust notably saw the debut of MkLeo's {{SSBU|Roy}}, which initially impressed players due to MkLeo's quick mastery of the character. However, subsequent usage of Roy after Diamond Dust fell short of expectations, as he has yet to win a set with Roy since. With MkLeo's overall record against the top 10 remaining abysmal, with {{Sm|Sparg0}} being his sole top 10 win, hope for an MkLeo resurgence dwindled, with some players questioning whether MkLeo was even top 20 that season. This speculation was confirmed after MkLeo fell to 25th to end the [[LumiRank 2024.1]] season, marking his single-worst global ranking.
The following weekend was Europe's first major of the year {{Trn|King Con}}, held in France. In contrast to GENESIS X, MkLeo had a great run to make Top 8, with wins over players, such as {{Sm|Raarchyor}} and {{Sm|ApolloKage}}. He then faced off against Sparg0 once again in winners side and defeated him 3-2 to make Winners Finals against {{Sm|Raflow}}. In a close game 5 set, Leo also defeats Raflow to make Grand Finals. In the meantime, Sparg0 has made it to rematch Leo once again in Grand Finals but ultimately, Leo came out on top, taking the set 3-1, winning King Con as well as his first major in 2024. Despite the underperformance at GENESIS X, 2024 will seem to be the return of "Forma de Leo."


==Rankings==
==Rankings==
Line 249: Line 251:
|-
|-
|[[LumiRank 2023]]||December 19th, 2022 - December 17th, 2023||11th||{{Head|Joker|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|PyraMythra|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Byleth|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|R.O.B.|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Corrin|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Meta Knight|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Marth|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||
|[[LumiRank 2023]]||December 19th, 2022 - December 17th, 2023||11th||{{Head|Joker|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|PyraMythra|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Byleth|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|R.O.B.|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Corrin|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Meta Knight|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Marth|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||
|-
|[[LumiRank 2024.1]]||December 18th, 2023 - July 15th, 2024||25th||{{Head|Joker|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Roy|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|Byleth|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|R.O.B.|g=SSBU|s=20px}}{{Head|PyraMythra|g=SSBU|s=20px}}||{{SSBU|Byleth}}, {{SSBU|R.O.B.}}, and {{SSBU|Pyra}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}} were only listed on the full top 50 graphic.
|}
|}


Line 322: Line 322:
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|-
|{{Trn|Anime Expo Mexico TNT 2009|g=SSBB}}||June 19th-21st, 2009||Top 8<!--https://twitter.com/ArathGG/status/1515954970574663681-->||&mdash;||&mdash;
|{{Trn|Anime Expo Mexico TNT 2009|g=SSBB}}||June 19th-21st, 2009||?||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|-
|{{Trn|Smash Factor 2013|g=SSBB}}||July 19th-21st, 2013||9th||?||?
|{{Trn|Smash Factor 2013|g=SSBB}}||July 19th-21st, 2013||9th||?||?
Line 923: Line 923:
|{{Trn|SUPER ELITE MONTHLY SERIES XII: FORMA DE LEO FEAT HBOX|g=SSBM}}||January 27th, 2024||1st / 88||2nd / 16||{{Sm|Z|p=Canada}}||???
|{{Trn|SUPER ELITE MONTHLY SERIES XII: FORMA DE LEO FEAT HBOX|g=SSBM}}||January 27th, 2024||1st / 88||2nd / 16||{{Sm|Z|p=Canada}}||???
|-
|-
|{{Trn|GENESIS X|g=SSBU}}||February 16th-18th, 2024||25th / 1,506||4th||{{Sm|MKBigBoss}}||
|{{Trn|GENESIS X|g=SSBU}}||February 16th - 18th, 2024||25th / 1,506||4th||{{Sm|MKBigBoss}}||
|-
|[https://www.start.gg/tournament/d-jo-106/event/ultimate-singles Dōjo #106]||February 23rd, 2024||3rd / 93||&mdash;||&mdash;||
|-
|-
|{{Trn|King Con|g=SSBU}}||February 24th-25th, 2024||1st / 840||2nd / 128||MKBigBoss||€2,352
|{{Trn|King Con|g=SSBU}}||February 24th-25th, 2024||1st / 840||2nd / 128||MKBigBoss||€2,352
Line 943: Line 941:
|{{Trn|Kagaribi 12|g=SSBU}}||May 5th-6th, 2024||25th / 2,030||&mdash;||&mdash;||&mdash;
|{{Trn|Kagaribi 12|g=SSBU}}||May 5th-6th, 2024||25th / 2,030||&mdash;||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|-
|{{Trn|Get On My Level X|g=SSBU}}||May 17th-19th, 2024||7th / 688||&mdash;||&mdash;||
|{{Trn|Get On My Level X|g=SSBU}}||May 17th-19th, 2024||7th / 688||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Pre S Factor 11|g=SSBU}}||July 11th-12th, 2024||2nd / 217||2nd / 87||MKBigBoss||
|-
|{{Trn|S Factor 11|g=SSBU}}||July 13th-14th, 2024||9th / 816||&mdash;||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Warehouse War 4|g=SSBU}}||July 27th, 2024||1st / 228||1st / 32||Skyjay||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Supernova 2024|g=SSBU}}||August 8th-11th, 2024||17th / 2,281||&mdash;||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Regen 2024|g=SSBU}}||August 23rd-25th, 2024||2nd / 571||1st / 99||MKBigBoss||&mdash;
|-
|[https://challonge.com/fbibarwednesday FBI bar wednesday]||August 28th, 2024||1st / 31||&mdash;||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Fist Bump International 2024|g=SSBU}}||August 30th-31st, 2024||1st / 140||1st / 24||MKBigBoss||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Umebura SP 11|g=SSBU}}||September 14th-15th, 2024||5th / 1,023||&mdash;||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Luminosity Invitational 2: Back to School|g=SSBU}}||September 27th-29th, 2024||5th / 16||&mdash;||&mdash;||???
|}
|}


Line 1,013: Line 993:
[[Category:México smashers]]
[[Category:México smashers]]
[[Category:Southern California smashers]]
[[Category:Southern California smashers]]
[[Category:Wi-Fi Warriors]]
[[Category:Marth players (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Marth players (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Cloud players (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Cloud players (SSB4)]]

Please note that all contributions to SmashWiki are considered to be released under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license (see SmashWiki:Copyrights for details). Your changes will be visible immediately. Please enter a summary of your changes above.

Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)