Greatest of all time: Difference between revisions

{{ArticleIcons|competitive=y|series=y}}

[[File:Armada Mango.png|thumb|right|Armada (left) and Mango, two players often considered the greatest ''Melee'' players of all time.]]

[[File:ssbmrank2017_4.png|thumb|right|Mew2King is often considered the greatest overall ''Smash Bros.'' player of all time.]]

'''Greatest of all time''', often shortened to '''GOAT''', is an informal title used by a fanbase to label a person considered the best ever to compete or participate in a particular field. The term is most widely used in professional sports; for example, most basketball players and fans consider either [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan Michael Jordan] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James LeBron James]. It is also used in other competitive fields such as chess or video gaming; [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faker_(gamer) Faker] is widely seen as the greatest ''League of Legends'' player of all time.

The ''Super Smash Bros.'' series has been played competitively since 2002 ([[Tournament:Smash Bros. Fighting Battle: Smash Bros. Meijin Deciding Game|as early as 1999]] in its native Japan), and as the tournament scene has continued to develop, the communities for each game in the series have formed a consensus around one, or several, candidates considered the "greatest of all time" for their particular title.

{{Sm|Isai}} is widely considered to be the greatest ''Smash 64'' player of all time. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/fight-club-catching-a-beating-at-the-super-bowl-of-super-smash-bros/|title="Fight Club: Catching a Beating at the Super Bowl of ‘Super Smash Bros.’"}}</ref> This is due to his extended longevity as a competitor and dominance over the ''Smash 64'' scene across all regions of the world (most famously showcased during his trip to Japan in 2006-2007).

''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' is perhaps the only ''Smash'' title with significant debate regarding its greatest player of all time.  

Hungrybox has been considered a top-five player from 2009 until the present and was seen as the undisputed rank one from 2017 to 2020. Among his major titles is a victory at {{Trn|EVO 2016}}, the [[List of largest Smash tournaments|largest ''Melee'' tournament of all time]]. His {{SSBM|Jigglypuff}} has been responsible for major developments in the ''Melee'' metagame; his dominance caused many to start seeing Jigglypuff as potentially the best character in the game, and many players, most notably Armada, developed secondary characters specifically in an attempt to counter him. However, Hungrybox's reign as a consistent first-place finisher has been relatively short compared to that of Mango or Armada, and his lowest level of play has also been below them; most notably from {{Trn|Apex 2010}} to {{Trn|Paragon Orlando 2015}}, he went nearly five years without placing 1st at a major title. It is often theorized that Hungrybox could become the greatest of all time if he continues to dominate the ''Melee'' scene after several more years of competition.

{{Sm|ZeRo}} was widely considered to be the greatest ''Smash 4'' player of all time. From 2014 to 2017, ZeRo placed first at nearly every tournament he entered, including a 56-tournament winning streak from 2014 to 2015. Taking a set off of ZeRo was often considered one of the highlights of a ''Smash 4'' player's career. Although ZeRo retired from entering ''Smash 4'' tournaments in 2018, no other player was about to match ZeRo's level of dominance and consistency before the end of the game's competitive life, leaving his claim as the ''Smash 4'' GOAT undisputed.

{{Sm|ThundeRzReiGN}} is generally considered to be the greatest ''Project M'' player of all time, due to both his dominance and consistent level of play, placing first at nearly every tournament he entered from 2016 to 2019.  

{{Sm|Mew2King}} is often considered the greatest player across all ''Smash'' titles. Mew2King is recognized as the greatest ''Brawl'' player of all time, a consistent top-five ''Melee'' player (considered best in the world in 2007), and a strong ''Project M'' and ''Smash 4'' player, having placed top eight at many major tournaments, while also entering ''Smash 64'' and ''Ultimate'' events. Mew2King is well known for his enjoyment of every ''Smash'' title and is one of the only top players who has spent their career competing in multiple games at once; since 2008, he has simultaneously played ''Melee'' and the newest ''Smash'' game at the time (''Brawl'' from 2008-2014, ''Smash 4'' from 2014-2018, ''Ultimate'' since 2018) (in addition to ''Project M'' from 2014-2015). Mew2King is also perhaps the most recognized player across the entire competitive ''Super Smash Bros.'' scene.

The tournament series [[Tournament:Super Smash Con (series)|Super Smash Con]] has run an exhibition event called "Smash Masters", in which players compete against each other across all official ''Smash'' titles, in an attempt to determine the best overall ''Smash'' player. Mew2King won Smash Masters in 2016 and 2018, {{Sm|Wizzrobe}} won in 2017, and {{Sm|ZeRo}} won in 2019.

==References==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Competitive play]]

[[Category:Unofficial lingo]]