Editing Super Pichu cheating scandal

The '''Chaos cheating scandal''' was an incident that occurred in the Ohio ''Smash Bros.'' scene after allegations were made about a Smash player named Chaos, who placed 2nd at the Alter Reality Games 2016 tournament which took place from June 24-26, 2016 in northeastern Ohio despite playing as [[Pichu (SSBM)|Pichu]], which has been historically considered a "joke character" in ''Melee''.

== Background ==

Pichu was ranked 24th out of 26th on the game's [https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_SSBM_tier_lists_(NTSC)#Twelfth_tier_list_.28December_10th.2C_2015.29| twelfth tier list on December 10, 2015] at the time due to a multitude of weaknesses, including being the lightest character in the game (which causes it to get KOed very easily while being very susceptible to combos due to sustaining comparatively long hitstun), very short-ranged attacks, moves which caused recoil damage, and a nearly nonexistent defensive game. Although the [https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_SSBM_tier_lists_(NTSC)#Tenth_tier_list_.28December_31.2C_2010.29| tenth tier list, which had been dated from December 31, 2010] would be the most recent NTSC tier list in which Pichu would be considered the worst character in the game (along with [[Kirby (SSBM)|Kirby]]), this would be further be emphasized in its Smash Red (Adventure) and Blue (All-Star) trophies, revealing Pichu's status as a "joke character":

{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Pichu
|image=Pichu Trophy (Smash).png
|mode=Adventure
|desc=Compared with Pikachu, Pichu is a tad more nimble and a little more difficult to hit. Those are the only two advantages, however, and since Pichu damages itself when it uses electrical attacks, it's best suited for handicapped matches. Even though Pichu's tough to catch, it's easy to throw its tiny frame great distances.
|gamelist=:B: Thunder Jolt
:Smash B: Skull Bash
|game=Melee
}}
{{clrl}}

{{Trophy/Fighter
|name=Pichu
|image=Pichu Trophy (Smash 2).png
|mode=All Star
|desc=Pichu is the lightest character in Super Smash Bros. Melee., and it's top of the class in weakness, too! For Pichu, it's all about scampering here and there to pick up items that will help it survive. The first warp in Agility causes 1 point of damage to Pichu, and the second causes 3, so try to limit the number of times you use the move.
|gamelist=:Up & B: Agility
:Down & B: Thunder
|game=Melee
}}
{{clrl}}

Despite Pichu's near-bottom tier list rankings, however, numerous players such as [[Smasher:Keropi-|Keropi]] and [[Smasher:Swordsaint|Swordsaint]] have demonstrated Pichu's potential strengths (including a fast, comboing neutral aerial, a frame 9 up smash and an effective grab game) at various tournaments, including the latter's noteworthy 97th place finish at [[Tournament:EVO 2014|EVO 2014]]; however, due to the strengths shown by established top-tier characters such as [[Fox (SSBM)|Fox]] and [[Falco (SSBM)|Falco]] and their dominance in ''Melee'''s competitive scene, it should be noted that this niche is only its most prominent at smaller tournaments.

On March 10, 2015, Chaos (xChaos on SmashBoards) stated in a SmashBoards forum, [https://smashboards.com/threads/pichu-isnt-the-worst.393987/page-1| Pichu isn't the worst!] that despite [[Marth (SSBM)|Marth]] being his most used character, he was more gravitating towards Pichu's potential from a personal skill-based perspective, intending to improve his skill level with the character [https://smashboards.com/threads/pichu-isnt-the-worst.393987/page-2]. In turn, this would provoke drama stemming from numerous users on the forum [https://smashboards.com/threads/pichu-isnt-the-worst.393987/page-3].

== The Tournament ==

During the Alter Reality Games 2016 ''Melee'' singles, Chaos and another player, Remix were [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=265s| arguing on whose setup would be used for their tournament match]. However, both players agreed to play on Chaos' setup, albeit with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=389s| Remix beating Chaos 2-1 in Round 1]. However, despite Chaos losing to Remix, he would [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=409s| go on to defeat 5 opponents in a row in the Losers' Bracket], notably defeating [[Smasher:Surf's up. hail satan|Surf's up. hail satan]], who was one of the best ''Melee'' players from Northeast Ohio; however, Chaos would [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=508s| afterwards argue with Minnty, his next opponent and a fellow top professional, on whose setup their match would be played]. Eventually, both players agreed to play on Chaos' setup, albeit with Chaos defeating Minnty 2-0.

After defeating Minnty, Chaos went on to Loser's Finals and faced off with Joeycrzl, who was ranked 9th on the [[Northeastern Ohio Power Rankings|Northeastern Ohio Power Rankings]] in the summer of 2016. Chaos went on to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=574s| defeat Joeycrzl in a 3-1 upset], and would go on to face [[Smasher:4%|4%]], ranked first on summer 2016's Northeastern Ohio Power Rankings, and notably ranked 99th on the [[SSBMRank 2016|SSBMRank 2016]]. Despite Chaos' previous match victories, 4% [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=793s| beat Chaos in a very narrow 3-2 win], with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=822s| 4% winning the tournament, Chaos getting 2nd place and Joeycrzl getting 3rd place, each of them winning cash prizes for their respective top 3 placings].

== The Aftermath ==

Despite Chaos' 2nd-place victory with a character with a nearly nonexistent playerbase, it was considered likely that Chaos had been cheating. In a forum post from an unnamed tournament attendee, it was claimed that Chaos had KO'ed Joeycrzl's [[Ice Climbers (SSBM)|Ice Climbers]] had [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=576s| been KO'ed by Pichu's uncharged forward smash at 18%] during a transformation on [[Pokémon Stadium]]. Of note is that while Pichu's forward smash is notable for having the highest base knockback of any forward smash in vanilla ''Melee'', it does not normally KO at said percentage range.

Some time later, a local event was organized for players in the Ohio ''Melee'' scene to gather together, with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=853s| Chaos showing up as one of the attendees]. While the attendees were playing their games, a plan to expose the possibility of Chaos' cheating guilt came around: to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=876s| distract Chaos by having some of the attendees take him along to a Sheetz convenience store nearby, while another group stayed behind to copy the SD card in Chaos' Wii to a separate SD card]. After Chaos returned and everyone went home, the people who copied Chaos' SD card showed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ&t=933s| video footage of Chaos' Pichu down tilt, which turned out to have increased range compared to vanilla ''Melee''].

== Final Words ==

On July 2nd, 2016, [https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/4qyq9x/on_melee_modifications_and_cheating_a_warning| a post in the r/Melee subreddit confirmed that Chaos had indeed cheated the whole time]; among the various known changes compiled in the post are the following:

- Down tilt is longer and has increased knockback.

- Forward smash is stronger and can no longer be SDI'ed.

- Aerial attacks have no lag.

- Pichu's weight is higher.

It was also revealed that likewise through cheating, these changes could be used by plugging a [[GameCube controller]] into the fourth controller port, pressing a certain button combination on the [[Character selection screen]] and using Pichu's blue alternate costume.

Chaos's cheating would soon be exposed; as a result, he would be banned from attending tournaments in Ohio, while his earnings from the tournament would also be confiscated.

The impact of Chaos' cheating would leave a notorious impact on the Smash scene due to the potential easiness of using cheats, hacks and other abnormal methods without universally modifying games or creating the risk of getting caught. As a result, this incident is widely regarded as the very first instance of cheating in competitive ''Smash Bros.'' history.

== References ==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5asTiS_FILQ

https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/4qyq9x/on_melee_modifications_and_cheating_a_warning/

https://smashboards.com/threads/pichu-isnt-the-worst.393987/
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