Super Smash Bros. Melee in competitive play: Difference between revisions

After Nintendo released its [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|newest]] ''Smash Bros.'' game in March 2008, ''Melee'' players questioned the survivability of their game as much of the community moved on to the new title. These fears turned out to be true, as 2008, commonly known as the '''Dark Age''' of ''Melee'', became completely dominated by the ''Brawl'' scene; not a single ''Melee'' major was held for around a year, and the few small tournaments held registered paltry attendance numbers compared to those of just the year before. The ''Melee'' scene remained stagnant until {{sm|Alukard}} held [[Revival of Melee]] in Nanuet, New York, in March 2009. This tournament was the first American event to feature ''Melee''{{'}}s best players from across the country (such as {{sm|Mew2King}}, {{sm|Mango}}, {{sm|PC Chris}}, and {{sm|Azen}}) since [[Pound 3]] in February 2008, and was the beginning of a gradual revival in tournament attendance back to pre-''Brawl'' levels. The renewed surge in attendance was aided by the fact that many ''Melee'' players disliked the slower, less combo-oriented gameplay of ''Brawl'' and returned to the former game shortly after its release. While [[EVO]] and [[Major League Gaming]] added ''Brawl'' to their major tournaments, the ''Melee'' community held on through a strong grassroots presence. ''Melee'' players' desires to remain a strong presence in the ''Smash'' scene led to the hosting of bigger and bigger tournaments, including [[GENESIS]] and [[Pound 4]], and ''Melee'' was able to maintain tournament numbers similar to those of ''Brawl'', even though the 2008 game attracted more newer ''Smash'' players than its predecessor.

==The "Platinum Age" (2013-2018)==