Smasher:MkLeo
- "Smasher:Leo" redirects here. For other players who use or have used the Leo tag, see Leo.
MkLeo, also known simply as Leo, is a smasher from Mexico. He is widely considered to be the best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player in the world, dominating the competitive scene since the game's release. He is currently ranked 1st on the Mexican Ultimate Power Rankings, OrionRank 2022, and UltRank 2022. Originally playing Ike, he later found tournament success with Lucina and Wolf before picking up Joker shortly after the character's release. Although he briefly struggled during the online metagame, he eventually found consistent success after picking up Byleth, as well as Pyra and Mythra following their release, leading him to be ranked 5th on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7. He has continued to use Byleth offline and achieve major success in tournaments.
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, MkLeo played Marth and Cloud, with Bayonetta, Meta Knight, Lucina, and Corrin as strong secondaries. He is his country's best player and was considered to be the best player in the world in 2018 after ZeRo's retirement, leading him to be ranked 3rd on the Panda Global Rankings 100 and 1st on the final Mexican Smash 4 Power Rankings. 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 Abadango have since used Meta Knight against other top players until his nerfs in game updates, 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 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 Nairo's early Brawl career.
He is also a proficient Smash 4 doubles player and usually teams with komorikiri or his cousin Javi. Leo/komorikiri consists of Cloud/Cloud and have taken 1st at majors such as Super Smash Con 2017, 2GGC: SCR Saga, Shine 2017, and GameTyrant Expo 2017. They were considered to be the best team in the world throughout 2017. Leo/Javi generally consists of Cloud/Sheik or Cloud/Cloud and dominate the Mexican and American scenes, taking impressive first places at major tournaments such as 2GGC: Civil War, 2GGC: Nairo Saga, and Canada Cup 2016. The duo has wins over the likes of ZeRo and Nairo, Mew2King and Ally, and Larry Lurr and ANTi.
MkLeo was signed by Echo Fox[1] and Most Valuable Gaming from January 4, 2017 to February 21, 2020.[2] He was later signed by T1 from February 26, 2020 to February 23rd, 2023.[3] He is currently sponsored by Luminosity Gaming, having been signed by them along with Tweek on March 23rd, 2023.[4]
Playstyle
Leo is known for his patient and calculative, yet aggressive playstyle with most of the characters he plays with, which grants him a strong punish game, as well as being known for his intense mindgames. He is most infamously known for his immaculate spacing and microspacing in neutral, especially with characters with swords and other disjointed hit boxes. As his career progressed, his strong mindgames transferred to his strong mentality as he became the number 1 player at the end of the competitive lifecycle of Smash 4 and in Ultimate. This is highlighted by some of his legendary loser's runs in multiple S-tier tournaments, most notably Evo 2019, Frostbite 2020, and Super Smash Con 2019, with multiple reverse 3-0 comebacks.
In Smash 4
As Marth, he is well known for his masterful spacing of Marth's aerials, as well as a surprisingly aggressive approach with a character that is often played with a more patient and defensive playstyle. His Marth in particular has been very effective against Bayonetta as Leo is known to lab that matchup a lot. As Cloud, he is more known for his defensive spacing and reserved usage of Limit Break-boosted moves, though he does retain his signature aggressive playstyle with him whenever he has the advantage, allowing him to pressure the opponent very well. As Meta Knight, he is known for his mastery of Meta Knight's combos, his uncanny ability for reading the opponent's air dodges, and his proficiency at executing the Rufio, Meta Knight's famous death combo. His Bayonetta is noted for its comeback ability and above average combo game.
He is also notorious for his player knowledge, defeating his opponents convincingly after initially losing to them in their first encounter. However, he does have some problems on the Ryu match-up, having dropped sets to Darkshad, Trela, Venom, Klein, and takera (though he began showing improvement in the matchup lately, notably having a perfect record against Locus). He is also known to struggle against grab-focused characters such as Donkey Kong and Bowser; at 2GGC: MkLeo Saga, he said that the player he dislikes fighting the most is Tweek since he often plays Donkey Kong against Leo and has taken numerous sets off of him with the character.[5]
In Ultimate
Leo's playstyle remains the same with the release of Ultimate. Over time his play style evolved towards a more all-around approach, able to play defensively passively along with his signature aggression depending on the match up. Leo's first character, Ike, was characterized by a solid grasp on fundamentals and bread-and-butter combos. Ike's usage in the early days of Ultimate complimented the unrefined metagame, Leo's ability to outread his opponent combined with Ike's simple yet damaging combos lead him to great success. However, as the game developed, this simplicity would lead him to drop Ike, and transition to his period of domination with Joker.
After dropping Ike, the first DLC character for the first Fighters' Pass Joker was released and Leo was interested in learning the character. As Joker, Leo has a mastery on combos and tools, being the main driving force of Joker's meta. While Leo had been previously known for his mastery of sword characters due to his unparalleled spacing ability, this same skill in spacing came into play with Joker's speed, able to weave in and out of combat just outside of the opponent's range. Leo's mastery of Joker emphasized all of the character's strengths: incredible edgeguarding and neutral with gun, a diversity of playstyles through movement, and an incredible read-heavy comeback factor due to Arsene. Leo's ability to adapt and adjust to his opponents became widely-known, leading to the nickname of "Game 4 Leo", where he would initially struggle against his opponent, before dominantly defeating them in the latter half of a match. In fact, Joker's primary weakness, the inability to kill without Arsene, seemed absolutely neglibible in the face of an upnaralleled ability to read his opponent's habits. His infamous usage of forward air 1 into drag down up air and smash attack confirm would make even his base Joker a feared opponent.
Leo began playing Byleth upon the character's release, eventually transitioning to maining the character during the online era. Like many sword characters before, Byleth fit his mastery of spacing, but also provided a superb, yet simple neutral game with his usage of neutral air. While Leo's previous characters were highlighted by their explosive plays, this ability was emphasized in Byleth more than any other. Now, poignant reads lead into extreme punishes with shield breaks and spikes through down air or down smash, as well as deadly edge-guards with his unique usage of up-b. Leo's knowledge of the intricacies of Byleth's up-b was unmatched. With it, he routinely stole stocks at low percentages, often deciding the game then and there. With Byleth, Leo was shown to time and again be a master of reacting perfectly to an opponent's panic options, where a single mistake from would lead to a complete shift in momentum through a well-timed kill confirm, combo, or read. Even in matchups against quick characters, where Byleth is at a heavy disadvantage, Leo would find ways to close the space through well-timed usages of tilts and neutral air, to force his opponent into Byleth's disjointed aerials. His playstyle with Byleth is epitomized by precise, optimal play, combined with singular game-ending plays.
Tournament history
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, at only 8 years of age.[6] 5 years later, he attended Smash Factor 3 in Project M singles, losing to his cousin Serge 0-3 in winners finals, but defeating Ally 3-2 in losers finals. He lost to Serge again 2-3 in grand finals to place 2nd.
In Smash 4, MkLeo began as a 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 burst into the international Smash scene when he won Smash Factor 4, Mexico's largest Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament at the time, and surprised everyone by defeating EVO 2015 runner-up Mr.R in Grand Finals 3-1, 2-stocking him in each game he won. Although Smash Factor 4 was the only PGR tournament he attended that season, thanks to that stellar performance he was ranked 19th for the first Panda Global Rankings. Later in the year, he would defeat Vinnie 3-1 in Grand Finals at 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 2016, Leo's usage of Meta Knight progressively decreased as he started to use Cloud and Marth instead. Following Meta Knight's nerfs and Marth's buffs in game update 1.1.5, MkLeo began to rely more on Marth and Cloud and would only use Meta Knight in specific match-ups such as Peach, Ryu, and Sonic.
Due to visa issues, Leo was unable to attend an American tournament for most of 2016. He received his Canadian visa after registration for Get On My Level 2016 had closed, but a decision was made by TOs to allow him to enter despite this, due to a widespread community approval. He defeated False and Nairo to reach top 8, but was defeated by Ally 1-3. In Loser's bracket he faced ZeRo in a highly anticipated set, which he narrowly lost 2-3 in a last hit, last stock situation, ending his run at 5th place. In the following few months, MkLeo would continue to rise as he would defeat Dabuz and Mr.R twice at Smash Factor 5 as well as Ally twice at Canada Cup 2016.
USA debut and the path to the top
In October 2016, MkLeo's visa was approved, allowing him to travel to the United States. His first American tournament, KTAR XIX, saw him defeating Nairo a second time but falling to ZeRo 2-3 and Salem 1-3, placing 3rd. His next American tournament, UGC Smash Open, was his worst performance of the season as he would lose to Marss 2-3 and Darkshad 1-3, placing 13th.
Although he would claim victory at Showdown: Battle Royale, MkLeo's first major American victory was at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga. Despite being sent to losers by VoiD 2-3, MkLeo would make an impressive losers run, eliminating Dabuz, ANTi, and Ally along the way. He then met ZeRo for the third time that season and was able to defeat him 3-0, becoming the 16th player to defeat him. He then won the rematch against VoiD 3-0 in losers finals and double-eliminated Larry Lurr 3-1 and 3-2 to win his first American national tournament. With this victory, he became the youngest person ever to win a major Smash 4 tournament, a record that still stands today. His outstanding performance that season, culminating with his victory at 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, not only helped him rise up to 8th place on the Panda Global Rankings v2, but also helped him gain sponsorships from Echo Fox and Most Valuable Gaming.
With his new status as the youngest top 10 player, MkLeo went into the third season with hopes of becoming the best player in the world. His first tournament that season, 2GGC: GENESIS Saga, saw him lose to VoiD and Tweek, placing 5th. Despite this shortcoming, he would have a spectacular performance at GENESIS 4, defeating everyone in his path, including komorikiri, Mr.R, and Ally twice, to claim victory at his second supermajor ever.
His next few majors, however, would be marked with disappointments. At Frostbite 2017, he lost to kameme 1-3 and VoiD 1-3, placing 13th. Although he had a successful performance at Frame Perfect Series 2, he failed to claim victory as he was unable to take a single game off of ZeRo, who cemented himself as MkLeo's bracket demon. Finally, he saw his worst performance yet by being upset by Meteor 0-2 and AC 2-3 at 2GGC: Civil War, finishing 65th.
Despite these disappointments, MkLeo would see his most successful season yet. He had several stellar performances such as his victory at Umebura Japan Major and top 3 placements at DreamHack Austin 2017, 2GGC: Nairo Saga, and CEO 2017. He also introduced a new secondary - Corrin - whom he used to claim victory at The Arena 2017 and defeat Salem at CEO 2017. His consistent victories over everyone except for ZeRo helped him rise all the way to 2nd on the Panda Global Rankings v3.
The fourth season, however, would be challenging for MkLeo as he would see some of his worst performances yet. At EVO 2017, he drowned in pools by losing to false 1-2 and MuteAce 1-2, tying his worst placement at 65th. His next major, DreamHack Atlanta 2017, saw him losing to Vinnie 1-2 and ZeRo 0-3, placing 17th. Finally, MkLeo would perform abysmally at the invitational PAX Arena at PAX West 2017, where he was only able to defeat KOSSismoss. Although MkLeo found success at a few majors during this period, he would still struggle against ZeRo. With Salem's victories at EVO 2017 - double-eliminating ZeRo in the process - and DreamHack Atlanta 2017 shutting MkLeo out of the top 2, people began to wonder whether MkLeo would drop even further.
However, MkLeo would see some light at GameTyrant Expo 2017. Although he fell to Elegant 1-3, he saw his first victory against ZeRo since 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, eliminating him 3-1 using Meta Knight. He rematched Elegant in Grand Finals where he would barely double-eliminate him, with both sets going to the final game, claiming his first victory of the season.
The rest of a season saw a return to form for MkLeo. Although he would finish an underwhelming 9th place at 2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga, losing to komorikiri 2-3 and VoiD 2-3, and fall victim to the 2GG curse by placing 3rd at the 2GGC tournament honoring him, he would claim victory at the final 2 national tournaments of the season: IBP Masters Showdown and 2GG Championship. The latter tournament was MkLeo's best performance of the season: he defeated ZeRo in a very quick 3-0 using Meta Knight and, although losing the first set of Grand Finals, defeated ZeRo yet again 3-1. Due to his strong performances towards the latter half of the season, MkLeo would only see a small drop to 4th place on the Panda Global Rankings v4.
During the off-season, MkLeo was invited to Smash 4 Boot Camp. He lost to Tweek 1-2 and Cosmos 0-2 in his group pool, entering top 16 on Losers side. He beat Dabuz 3-1 but lost to Larry Lurr 1-3, placing 9th.
Claiming the throne
Following ZeRo's retirement, MkLeo would become one of the contenders for the top spot alongside Nairo. MkLeo would start off strong by defending his title at GENESIS 5 and winning EVO Japan 2018. Nairo would fire back by winning and defeating MkLeo at both Niconico Tokaigi 2018 and Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas. In turn, MkLeo would win and defeat Nairo at both SwitchFest and Get On My Level 2018, picking up Bayonetta along the way. Eventually, Nairo's results started to decline, and it looked like MkLeo was to secure the top position. However, he was met with yet another challenger for the top spot: his rival Tweek, who won EGLX 2018, MomoCon 2018 and 2GG: Hyrule Saga; the latter tournament was one of the largest events of the season and was a tournament where Leo took a loss to ZAKI and ended in 7th place. With yet another challenger to the throne on the rise, all eyes were on CEO 2018, the tournament that would decide whether Tweek or MkLeo would take the throne. Despite taking an early loss to Captain L, Tweek refused to concede, and he made a brutal loser's run 3-0ing almost everyone in his way to meet MkLeo in Grand Finals, where he managed to 3-0 MkLeo with Donkey Kong to reset the bracket. However, MkLeo was able to overcome the Donkey Kong in the second set and, after Tweek pulled out Bayonetta, he switched to Marth to not only win the tournament, but claim the vacant throne on the Panda Global Rankings v5.
MkLeo would also be invited to the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 for the then-upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In the first round, MkLeo used Bayonetta and teamed with Mango to defeat Mr.R and Lucky. He then defeated Mango's Inkling with Sonic, but then lost to ZeRo's Sheik while using Snake. In Loser's Finals, MkLeo controversially swept Plup's Ridley with Bayonetta, causing discord in the audience due to Bayonetta's unpopularity in Smash 4. He would then rematch ZeRo in Grand Finals, resetting the bracket 2-0 with Bayonetta and Sonic over ZeRo's Mario and Sheik, but then losing 1-2, placing 2nd.
In the final season, MkLeo would only register for three major tournaments. He dropped out of EVO 2018 due to chickenpox but was able to come back strong by winning Super Smash Con 2018, only losing 3 games to WaDi, Nairo, and Samsora. At his final tournament, Shine 2018, he was upset 1-2 by JaKaL and performed one last Loser's run, defeating Dabuz and VoiD before falling to Tweek 2-3, finishing 5th.
Due to MkLeo's success throughout Smash 4's lifespan culminating in his rise to the throne in the game's final year, MkLeo was ranked 3rd on the PGR 100, the all-time Smash 4 ranking, behind ZeRo and Nairo.
The Ultimate player
Following his performance at the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate invitational, MkLeo went into Ultimate with strong results, using a combination of Ike and Lucina. MkLeo's first national tournament for the new game was Smash Conference United where he would claim victory over Samsora 3-2. At GENESIS 6, the first Ultimate supermajor, MkLeo would be sent to Loser's by Samsora 2-3 in Winner Semis. However, he made an impressive losers run, defeating Light 3-2, Dabuz 3-1, Samsora 3-2 in a runback then VoiD 3-1 twice in grand finals to take his third GENESIS title in a row.
With his impressive showing at GENESIS 6, MkLeo was shaping up to potentially be the best player in the world. However, his Smash 4 rival Tweek would challenge that position at Frostbite 2019, where he would beat MkLeo twice in Winner's Finals and Grand Finals. During this time, MkLeo would also experience a character crisis as he believed that Ike was holding him back, and he would experiment with Wolf and Marth. He would also fail to claim victory at a major save for Smash Ultimate Summit, which didn't count for the Spring 2019 PGRU.
With the release of Joker in Challenger Pack 1, MkLeo devoted more time to the new character and picked him up as a main despite the character's lukewarm reception in regards to viability. His first tournament with Joker, Umebura Japan Major 2019, ended with a dud as he was upset by TKM and Umeki to place 33rd, his worst Ultimate placement to date. However, he would stick with Joker and eventually started to see success with the character when he placed 4th at Get On My Level 2019. Following this tournament, however, MkLeo began his top 2-placing streak by placing first at the next three tournaments he participated in. MkLeo would showcase Joker's advantages with a commanding 3-stock on Samsora at Grand Finals of Smash 'N' Splash 5 as well as his run at CEO 2019, where he would only drop 2 games to ProtoBanham and Marss. At the end of the season, MkLeo took the top spot on the Spring 2019 PGRU, cementing himself as the best player in the world.
The following season continued MkLeo's dominance. He would have a weak start by losing to Marss twice at Smash Factor 8, the only Smash Factor tournament MkLeo attended and failed to win. Then, at EVO 2019, the largest Smash tournament to date, MkLeo would fall to kameme 0-2 in Winner's Top 24. This, however, didn't hold him back and he would make one of the best Loser's run of his career, defeating Maister, ScAtt, and Abadango to reach Top 8, and then zackray, Raito, Samsora, and Glutonny to reach Tweek in Grand Finals. Although Tweek would defeat MkLeo in the first 2 games, MkLeo held on, taking the third game. In the fourth game, MkLeo would make an impressive 3-stock comeback and would dominate Tweek in the remaining four games, winning EVO for the first time. The next week at Super Smash Con 2019 MkLeo would be in the exact same situation: after falling to Samsora in Winner Semi-Final, he would tear through the Loser's Bracket and defeat Samsora 3-2 and 3-0, claiming victory at his second Super Smash Con.
For the rest of the season, MkLeo would place 1st at every single tournament he attended aside from Shine 2019, Mainstage, and Mega Smash Mondays 213. He would only lose to 6 players at PGRU tournaments - Marss, kameme, Samsora, Nairo, Glutonny, and ESAM; Marss, Samsora, and Glutonny would also be the only players who would take more than one set off of him. MkLeo also became notorious for clutching out game 4 in sets against players while down 1-2, such as against Tweek at EVO 2019 and Samsora at Super Smash Con 2019, earning him the nickname "Game 4 Leo." The second PGRU season saw MkLeo ranked 1st once again with a win rate of 81.3%, over 12% higher than Zackray, the player with the next-highest win rate.
The struggle online
Leo's first tournament of the year was GENESIS 7 where he tried to defend his three-year winning streak. He was initially sent into Loser's bracket by 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 Frostbite 2020. Although he was upset 0-3 by Prodigy in winners Top 96, he tore through the Loser's bracket, defeating the likes of Salem, Dark Wizzy, Samsora, Nairo, Zackray, Dabuz, Tea, and 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 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 IcyMist, BestNess, Epic_Gabriel, and Kola, as well as other players such as Hungrybox and rat. He also developed a bracket demon in 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 The Box, losing to Jw and Prodigy, and then at The Box: Juice Box 8, losing to GamingHI9x9 and AoS.
Despite these early shortcomings, MkLeo eventually found some success. Towards the latter half of the online season, MkLeo would stick to Wolf, Cloud, and Greninja and started to consistently place in the top 8 at major tournaments. His best placement that season was at the S-Tier tournament The Quarantine Series: Major Tournament 1, where he only lost to Sonix in Winner's Finals and Grand Finals, placing 2nd. By the end of the season, he would have an even record against the entire top 10 and would be ranked 11th on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5.
In the 6th season, MkLeo started to play more Byleth and produced solid results such as 5th at A-tier Zinc Tank 3 and 9th at S-tier Lockhart Series. However, throughout the first half of the season, MkLeo would fail to claim victory at any major online tournament and his only victory would be at the B-tier Frame Perfect Series: ONLINE. It wouldn't be until November when MkLeo would finally win a major tournament: the S-Tier tournament Ultimate 32. Starting off in the top 32, MkLeo defeated several top players including BestNess, Sharp, and Sparg0 as he used solo Byleth throughout most of the top 32 and top 8 brackets. Coming from Loser's side, he faced Maister in Grand Finals, where he lost the first two games. He then switched to Ike, considered one of Mr. Game & Watch's worst matchups, and pulled off a reverse 3-0 against Maister, resetting the bracket. He then defeated Maister 3-0 in the reset, winning the largest tournament of the season. Despite being an online tournament, several players compared MkLeo's performance to his runs at EVO 2019 and Super Smash Con 2019 and congratulated him on his victory.
Although MkLeo entered fewer tournaments than he did the previous season, his victory at Ultimate 32, as well as his overall outstanding results, brought his rank up to 6th on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v6.
Return to glory
In the 7th season, MkLeo would only make appearances at a couple online tournaments, notably placing 2nd at both the S-tier The Airlock, defeating everyone aside from Sonix, and the first Phase 1 Qualifier for the Smash World Tour 2021, playing the newly-released Pyra for most of the tournament. Following the latter tournament, MkLeo announced he was going to stop attending online tournaments,[7] although he would attend three other tournaments: Ultimate @ Xanadu Online 400 due to its high prize pool,[8] Frame Perfect Series 5: ONLINE at the request of Mew2King, and Smash Alzheimer's after being invited. Despite entering fewer tournaments than the sixth season, he would rise up to 5th on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7.
As offline slowly returned, MkLeo decided to commit to Byleth and the Aegis, as he saw his Joker as rusty. MkLeo attended his first offline tournament since Frostbite 2020 at SWT: Central America Ultimate Regional Finals, where he won the event without dropping a set. His next tournament, Smash Ultimate Summit 3, saw him face-to-face with his longtime rival Tweek. However, for the first time since Frostbite 2019, Tweek managed to defeat MkLeo 3-0 twice with his new main Diddy Kong, leaving MkLeo at 2nd. Two weeks later, the rivals met again at Riptide. Although Tweek was up 2-0 against him, MkLeo managed to turn it around and ended their match with a three-stock. He would then defeat Tweek once again in Grand Finals, winning his first supermajor since offline returned. These placements not only washed away any doubt at MkLeo's abilities post-quarantine but also started a shift in perception for Byleth, who was previously considered a low tier by many players. With all three characters in his pocket, MkLeo continued to place top 2 at every major he attended, only losing sets to ESAM, Dabuz, and Sparg0 at these majors, and culminating in him taking the title of World Champion at the Smash World Tour 2021 Championships.
Despite these successes, however, a notable weakness was starting to develop in the form of Min Min. MkLeo was unable to defeat the character with Byleth, forcing him to rely on his secondaries instead. Although he only met a couple of Min Mins during this season, they were not the smoothest sets: he went to game 5 versus Pink Fresh and lost to Dabuz for the first time this season. These results foreshadowed an obstacle that would be in MkLeo's way in the next season.
Adaptations in a changing metagame
Despite having an incredibly strong 2021, MkLeo started 2022 lukewarmly as his dominance faltered a bit. At Smash Ultimate Summit 4, MkLeo lost to both Light and Glutonny and placed 3rd in his pools, relegating him to the Gauntlet Phase. Although he won his gauntlet, his run was ended by Sparg0 and ProtoBanham, both of whom defeated him after making a comeback in the fourth game; at 4th place, this was MkLeo's worst placement since Get On My Level 2019. The following day, he placed 3rd at G4 Smash Ultimate Invitational while primarily playing Corrin and Aegis, being double eliminated by Larry Lurr.
At the first supermajor, Collision 2022, MkLeo was reverse 3-0'd by Sparg0 before losing to Tweek, placing 3rd. These three placements, while still very good, were the first few tournaments since mid 2019 that MkLeo placed outside of the top 2, and his number one position was being challenged by Sparg0, who not only defeated MkLeo at two of these tournaments, but won all three of them as well.
As a result of these early results, MkLeo decided to change it up a bit by working on his Corrin, and he was able to showcase how strong the character could be at Delfino Maza RETA 2022. MkLeo placed 1st using a combination of Byleth and Corrin, defeating Sparg0 3-1 in Grand Finals and finishing the tournament with a 24-1 game count record, winning his first major since the Smash World Tour 2021 Championships. While many players applauded his skill with Corrin, others hoped it could mark a return to form, and many eyes were on him and Sparg0 for GENESIS 8.
And it did mark a return to form, as despite the many upsets that took place at the tournament, MkLeo managed to cruise into top 8, having only pulled out Corrin for three games total. Leo then defeated both Light and Sparg0 with Byleth before swiftly taking out Glutonny to win the tournament, marking his first supermajor win of 2022 and winning his runback against three players that had defeated him that season. The rest of the season marked a return to form for MkLeo, as he continued to place in the top 2 at every tournament he attended. His victories over Sparg0 at Relax & Smash at GeekFest Cancún was enough to barely edge his rival out on the rankings. Although he remained the best player in the world for the PGRU v3 season, a mere 0.7 points separated him and Sparg0, making it the closest someone has dethroned him.
The competition continued to tighten in the next season, with MkLeo facing three obstacles that challenged his position on the throne. First, he has yet to be freed from his biggest demon Min Min, a character he has since announced was his least favorite character.[9] This demon haunted him at the supermajor Double Down 2022, where he eventually ran into ProtoBanham, who having previously defeated MkLeo at Smash Ultimate Summit 4 using a mixture of Min Min and Lucina, this time fought MkLeo using mostly the former. ProtoBanham managed to defeat MkLeo and his Corrin in Winner's Finals, but MkLeo managed to win the runback in the first set of Grand Finals, this time using R.O.B., yet another character he had been working on. However, he was unable to defeat ProtoBanham in the second set, leaving ProtoBanham as the winner. Following the tournament, MkLeo conceded that he played too many characters and noted his struggle against Min Min.
His second obstacle came in the form of another Fighter Pass 2 character: Steve, a character that many players believed was overpowered. Japan's rising star acola had dominated the Japanese Smash scene since March and defeated several of North America's best players to win The Gimvitational, sparking debates on whether it was possible for acola to be the best player in the world instead of MkLeo. The two had avoided each other due to MkLeo's presence in Europe during The Gimvitational and acola dropping out of Super Smash Con 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result many players began anticipating for a set between the two at Smash Ultimate Summit 5. In addition, MkLeo suffered a devastating 3-0 loss to Onin at Super Smash Con which ended in a 3 stock from the rising Steve player; MkLeo ultimately placed 5th after losing to Glutonny, the first time he failed to make top 4 at a tournament since Umebura Japan Major 2019 over 3 years prior, while Onin went on to win the tournament through the winner's side.
The final obstacle came in the form of a character crisis as MkLeo not only dropped Corrin and R.O.B., but began to slowly shift away from his Byleth in favor of Pyra and Mythra, due to him finding the latter two more fun to play. This, however, started to work against him, as seen in his 5th place finish at Super Smash Con 2022. Although he remained confident in the character after winning the major Rise 'N Grind solely using the character, this confidence was shattered by his performance at Smash Ultimate Summit 5. Having ended up in the Gauntlet round after losing to Riddles in pools, MkLeo unfortunately was unable to make it out on the Winner's side after Glutonny reverse 3-0'd him, leaving MkLeo in the Loser's side. In the final bracket, MkLeo saw a humiliating beatdown from Tweek during the first two games of their set, forcing him to switch to Byleth. However, despite coming very close, MkLeo was unable to complete the reverse 3-0 and Tweek eliminated him at 9th; not only was MkLeo unable to face acola, who would've been his next opponent after Tweek, but it also marked the first time ever since Umebura Japan Major 2019 where he failed to make top 8.
Although he eventually decided to switch back to Byleth, the damage was done: his two underwhelming performances caused players to once again question MkLeo's position in the current metagame. Discussion shifted from whether MkLeo was still #1 to who was #1, and during this period several candidates popped up, which included Light, who had seen consistent top 3 placements throughout the year, and acola, who continued to dominate the Japanese Smash scene after his victory at The Gimvitational. Many players believed a clearer answer would present itself at the supermajor Ludwig Smash Invitational, a tournament which saw both Light and acola seeded above MkLeo.
And a clearer answer did present itself. Having returned to Byleth, MkLeo not only won the tournament, but bested the competition by winning every single game he played save for the first game against Kurama, whom he ultimately won the runback. Furthermore, MkLeo finally had his long-anticipated set against acola, which went 3-0 in MkLeo's favor in both Winner Semis and Grand Finals. With Light finishing in a disappointing 13th and MkLeo defeating acola twice, doubt on MkLeo's abilities quickly faded away.
Unfortunately, this tournament was MkLeo's last hurrah of the season, largely due to situations out of his control. MkLeo had been developing hearing problems, which led to him cancelling most of his travel plans, including a tournament dedicated in his honor in Canada.[10] Although he had plans on only attending the circuit finale tournaments, those plans were ruined following the Smash World Tour 2022 Championships's cancellation and the shutdown of the Panda Cup that followed. With the two major end-of-season tournaments gone, the only other tournament MkLeo attended was the Scuffed World Tour, the Smash World Tour's replacement tournament. MkLeo's performance, however, was significantly weaker than his previous Ludwig appearance: he ultimately placed 5th, going game 5 against Kazuya players Ferps and Riddles - the latter of which he reintroduced his Marth into top competitive play - but being 3-0'd by Tweek and Shuton, both of whom solidified themselves as MkLeo's new bracket demons. Despite this disappointing season, as well as a rather inconsistent season overall, most power rankings, including the half-year UltRank 2022 and the yearly OrionRank 2022, still ranked him first, albeit with very close competition from both acola and Sparg0.
Struggle against the top
After MkLeo's most fragile year yet, a few changes were necessary if he were to keep his hold on the throne. The most notable change was his character lineup, as MkLeo swapped out his Byleth for his former main Joker while maintaining many other characters as secondaries. He put this Joker to use at Let's Make Big Moves 2023, but the choice initially backfired, as after being defeated by Tweek, he stubbornly stuck with the character against Sonix, resulting in his first ever loss to his former online bracket demon, ending his run at 4th. This disappointment didn't stop him, and he stuck with his character choices in GENESIS 9. Although he used Joker for most of the tournament, he pulled out R.O.B. against Justice to barely clutch out a 3-2 victory, and used the Aegis 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 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 Light, 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.
Unfortunately, it seemed like GENESIS was going to be an outlier for his season, as MkLeo followed it up with his worst performances since the early metagame: 9th place finishes at Collision 2023 and Smash Ultimate Summit 6 - with more losses than wins at the latter tournament - as well as a 13th place finish at Battle of BC 5. His record against Tweek, Riddles, and 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 ShinyMark at Collision, ApolloKage at Summit, and both Zomba and Kameme at Battle of BC. 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 against acola and Sparg0, with acola soundly defeating MkLeo at Summit and Sparg0 double-eliminating MkLeo at 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 Meta Knight to his lineup at Summit, to sticking to only the Aegis and Byleth for MAJOR UPSET onward. 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.
Rankings
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Mexican Power Rankings
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 42nd |  |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Panda Global Rankings
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGR v1 | January 2015-May 2016 | 19th |    |
|
| PGR v2 | May-December 2016 | 8th | |
|
| PGR v3 | January-June 2017 | 2nd | |
|
| PGR v4 | June-December 2017 | 4th | |
|
| PGR v5 | January-July 2018 | 1st |  |
|
| PGR 100 | January 2015-November 2018 | 3rd | |
OrionRank
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrionRank 2016 | March 15th-December 18th, 2016 | 3rd | |
|
| OrionRank 2017 | December 24th, 2016-December 24th, 2017 | 4th | |
|
| OrionRank Mid-Spring 2018 | January 1st-May 1st, 2018 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank 2018 | January 1st-December 2nd, 2018 | 1st | |
Mexican Power Rankings
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1st | |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Panda Global Rankings Ultimate
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2019 PGRU | February 1st-July 7th, 2019 | 1st |     |
|
| Fall 2019 PGRU | July 13th-December 15th, 2019 | 1st |  |
|
| PGRUContenders NA | 2021 | S+ (1st) |   |
|
| PGRU v3 NA | March 1st-June 13th, 2022 | 1st |  |
UltRank
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UltRank 2022 | June 18th-December 18th, 2022 | 1st | |
OrionRank Ultimate
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrionRank Ultimate | January 5th-June 30th, 2019 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank 2019 | January 5th-December 15th, 2019 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank Pre-Quarantine | December 27th, 2019-March 15th, 2020 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse | April 2020-December 19th, 2021 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank Mid-Year 2022 | December 22nd, 2021-June 26th, 2022 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank 2022 | December 22nd, 2021-December 18th, 2022 | 1st |  |
Wi-Fi Warrior Rank
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5 |
January-June 2020 | 11th |   |
|
| Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v6 |
July-December 2020 | 6th | |
|
| Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7 |
January-June 2021 | 5th | |
OrionRank North America
| Ranking | Time period | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OrionRank North America Top 200 | January 2019-March 2020 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse North America | June 2020-December 19th, 2021 | 1st | |
|
| OrionRank 2022 North America | December 22nd, 2021-December 18th, 2022 | 1st | |
Mexican Power Rankings
| Ranking | Rank | Character(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/2021 | 1st | |
|
| January-June 2022 | 1st | |
Tournament placings
Super Smash Bros. Melee
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smash 'N' Chill Weekly #7 | February 28th, 2017 | 3rd | — | — |
| Smash Factor 6 | August 4th-6th, 2017 | — | 9th | Serge |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anime Expo Mexico TNT 2009 | June 19th-21st, 2009 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Factor 2013 | July 19th-21st, 2013 | 9th | ? | ? |
Project M
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement |
|---|---|---|
| Smash Factor 3 | August 1st-3rd, 2014 | 2nd |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smash Factor 4 | July 24th-26th, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash@Tier3 Volume 2 | August 23rd, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash@Tier3 Volume 3 | September 26th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Thunderstruck 3 | October 16th-18th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash@Tier3 Volume 4 | October 24th, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| True Combo | October 31st-November 1st, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Bring It! | November 21st, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash@Tier3 Volume 5 | November 28th, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Monster Kingdom | December 13th, 2015 | 2nd | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XII | December 17th, 2015 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| TNT | December 21st, 2015 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XIV | January 7th, 2016 | 1st | 2nd | Hyuga |
| Time To Tip The Scales | January 9th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash@Tier3 Volume 6 | February 6th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XIX | February 11th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Serge |
| Torneo del Amor - Friki | February 13th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Hail Smash | March 12th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXIV | March 18th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| StreetBros | March 19th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXV | March 24th, 2016 | 2nd | — | — |
| The Arena 2016 | March 25th-27th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXVI | March 31st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXVII | April 7th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Hail Smash II | April 16th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Street Bros 2 | April 30th, 2016 | 2nd | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXI | May 5th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Get On My Level 2016 | May 20th-22nd, 2016 | 5th | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXXIV | May 26th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Hail Smash III | May 28th-29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXV | June 2nd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente XXXVI | June 9th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXVII | June 16th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Factor Prelude | June 18th, 2016 | 2nd | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXVIII | June 23rd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente XXXIX | June 30th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 40 | July 7th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 41 | July 14th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Orbit | July 23rd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Angel |
| Smash Factor 5 | July 29th-31st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 44 | August 4th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 45 | August 11th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Serge |
| Rio de Janeiro eGames Showcase 2016 | August 15th-16th, 2016 | 3rd | — | — |
| Hail Smash V | August 20th-21st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 47 | August 25th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 48 | September 1st, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 49 | September 8th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Thunderstruck 4 | September 17th-18th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 51 | September 22nd, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 52 | September 29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 53 | October 6th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 54 | October 13th, 2016 | — | 2nd | Lavi |
| Hail Smash VI | October 15th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Canada Cup 2016 | October 28th-30th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 58 | November 10th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| KTAR XIX | November 19th, 2016 | 3rd | 2nd | Mr.E |
| Smash Attack 14 | November 20th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Max Ketchum |
| The Break Weekly #388 | November 22nd, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| XenoSaga IV | November 26th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Gomamugitya |
| The Break Weekly #389 | November 29th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Poplar Creek Bowl Weekly #76 | December 1st, 2016 | 1st | 3rd | Rickles |
| UGC Smash Open | December 2nd-4th, 2016 | 13th | 2nd | Day |
| Ignition #60 | December 7th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Poplar Creek Bowl Weekly #77 | December 8th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Mr.R |
| FNSD 26 | December 9th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Showdown: Battle Royale | December 10th-11th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Ally |
| GGSW 11 | December 13th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| Smashfield Weeklies #68 | December 15th, 2016 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GGT: ZeRo Saga | December 16th-18th, 2016 | 1st | 5th | Dabuz |
| Smash Pendiente 64 | December 22nd, 2016 | — | 1st | Lavi |
| Smash Pendiente 65 | December 29th, 2016 | 1st | 1st | Yura |
| Smash Pendiente 66 | January 5th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | BryanZ |
| 2GGC: GENESIS Saga | January 14th, 2017 | 5th | 1st | komorikiri |
| Mega Smash Mondays 81 | January 16th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| GENESIS 4 | January 20th-22nd, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Ally |
| Smash Pendiente 69 | January 26th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 70 | February 2nd, 2017 | — | 1st | Javi |
| Austin's Really Feeling It 16 | February 11th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| The Smash Pack #7 | February 11th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Hakii |
| Freezing Point: A Prelude to Frostbite | February 24th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Frostbite 2017 | February 25th-26th, 2017 | 13th | 1st | Ally |
| Smash 'N' Chill Weekly #7 | February 28th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| No Fun Allowed | March 4th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Cosmos |
| League of Shadows Season 7 Weekly 09 | March 9th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash 4 at KI Con | March 10th-12th, 2017 | 2nd | 1st | Nairo |
| Frame Perfect Series 2 | March 18th-19th, 2017 | 3rd | 4th | Mew2King |
| 2GGC: Civil War | March 24th-26th, 2017 | 65th | 1st | Javi |
| Mega Smash Mondays 91 | March 27th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Wednesday Night Fights Winter Season 1.7 | March 29th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| KTAR XX | April 1st-2nd, 2017 | 3rd | 1st | ZeRo |
| The Arena 2017 | April 8th-9th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 80 | April 20th, 2017 | 1st | 2nd | Javi |
| DreamHack Austin 2017 | April 28th-30th, 2017 | 2nd | 1st | ZeRo |
| KSB 2017 | May 4th-6th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura Japan Major 2017 | May 6th-7th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Mew2King |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #2 | May 10th, 2017 | 7th | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #3 | May 17th, 2017 | 17th | — | — |
| Battle of BC 2 | June 3rd-4th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Mew2King |
| Mega Smash Mondays 24 - The Lose Episode | June 5th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Wednesday Night Fights 2017 Spring Season 2.5 | June 7th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GGC: Nairo Saga | June 10th-11th, 2017 | 3rd | 1st | Javi |
| Mega Smash Mondays 100 | June 12th, 2017 | 4th | — | — |
| Wednesday Night Fights 2017 Spring Season 2.6 | June 14th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| CEO 2017 | June 16th-18th, 2017 | 2nd | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 89 | June 29th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Mega Smash Mondays 104 | July 10th, 2017 | 3rd | — | — |
| EVO 2017 | July 14th-16th, 2017 | 65th | — | — |
| DreamHack Atlanta 2017 | July 21st-23rd, 2017 | 17th | 1st | Ally |
| International Gaming Expo | July 28th-30th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Locus |
| Smash Factor 6 | August 4th-6th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Super Smash Con 2017 | August 10th-13th, 2017 | 3rd | 1st | komorikiri |
| Weds Night Fights 2017 Summer Season 3.3 | August 16th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GGC: SCR Saga | August 19th-20th, 2017 | 2nd | 1st | komorikiri |
| Shine 2017 | August 25th-27th, 2017 | 5th | 1st | komorikiri |
| PAX Arena at PAX West 2017 | September 1st-4th, 2017 | 9th | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 100 | September 14th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Yura |
| GameTyrant Expo 2017 | September 29th-October 1st, 2017 | 1st | 1st | komorikiri |
| 2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga | October 14th-15th, 2017 | 9th | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 104 | October 19th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Captain Levi |
| Canada Cup 2017 | October 28th-30th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Mew2King |
| 2GGC: MkLeo Saga | November 4th, 2017 | 3rd | 2nd | Javi |
| IBP Masters Showdown | November 11th-12th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 108 | November 16th, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 109 | November 23rd, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| 2GG Championship | December 1st-3rd, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 124 | December 4th, 2017 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash 4 Boot Camp | December 7th-10th, 2017 | 9th | 1st | Tweek |
| Smash Pendiente 113 | December 21st, 2017 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 116 | January 11th, 2018 | 1st | 2nd | Yura |
| GENESIS 5 | January 19th-21st, 2018 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #18 | January 24th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| EVO Japan 2018 | January 26th-28th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Umebura Tokaigi Qualifier 1 | February 3rd, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Toryumon Weekday Tournament x STUDIO SKY #19 | February 7th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Niconico Tokaigi 2018 | February 10th-11th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Smash Pendiente 121 | February 15th, 2018 | 3rd | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Pendiente 123 | March 1st, 2018 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Midwest Mayhem 11 | March 10th, 2018 | 3rd | 1st | CaptainZack |
| Smash Pendiente 125 | March 15th, 2018 | 1st | 4th | Yura |
| Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas | March 24th-25th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Mexcombat | April 1st, 2018 | 4th | — | — |
| Noods Noods Noods: Oakland Edition | April 7th, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| SwitchFest | April 21st-22nd, 2018 | 1st | 1st | komorikiri |
| Arcane Tournaments 2018 | April 27th-29th, 2018 | 1st | 1st | Javi |
| Get On My Level 2018 | May 18th-20th, 2018 | 1st | 2nd | Mistake |
| Smash 'N' Splash 4 | June 1st-3rd, 2018 | 3rd | 3rd | komorikiri |
| 2GG: Hyrule Saga | June 23rd-24th, 2018 | 7th | 9th | Javi |
| CEO 2018 | June 29th-July 1st, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2018 | August 9th-12th, 2018 | 1st | 1st | Cosmos |
| Shine 2018 | August 24th-26th, 2018 | 5th | 1st | ANTi |
| Super Smash Con 2019 | August 8th-11th, 2019 | — | 2nd | Javi |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 placement | 2v2 placement | Partner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 | June 12th, 2018 | 2nd | — | — |
| Smash Mania 2 | December 21st, 2018 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Conference United | January 5th-6th, 2019 | 1st | 2nd | Wizzrobe |
| Glitch 6 | January 19th-20th, 2019 | 4th | 1st | Ally |
| GENESIS 6 | February 1st-3rd, 2019 | 1st | 4th | Javi |
| Wednesday Night Fights 4.12 | February 6th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Heart of Battle | February 9th, 2019 | 1st | 1st | WaDi |
| Mega Smash Mondays 176 | February 11th, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| Frostbite 2019 | February 22nd-24th, 2019 | 2nd | 5th | Nairo |
| Smash Ultimate Summit | March 8th-10th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GG: Prime Saga Kickoff | April 12th, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| 2GG: Prime Saga | April 13th-14th, 2019 | 7th | 1st | Javi |
| Smash Ultimate MVG Round-Robin #3 | April 16th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Pound 2019 | April 19th-21st, 2019 | 7th | 5th | Mew2King |
| Umebura Japan Major 2019 | May 1st-2nd, 2019 | 33rd | — | — |
| EGS Cup | May 6th, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| Toryumon Kiwami #18 | May 8th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Get On My Level 2019 | May 17th-19th, 2019 | 4th | 1st | Serge |
| MomoCon 2019 | May 23rd-26th, 2019 | 1st | 2nd | Marss |
| Smash 'N' Splash 5 | May 31st-June 2nd, 2019 | 1st | 13th | Mew2King |
| CEO 2019 | June 28th-30th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Turtul Returns | July 14th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Factor 8 | July 26th-28th, 2019 | 2nd | 1st | Javi |
| EVO 2019 | August 2nd-4th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| S@X 314 | August 6th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Super Smash Con 2019 | August 8th-11th, 2019 | 1st | 2nd | Javi |
| Shine 2019 | August 23rd-25th, 2019 | 2nd | 1st | Dark Wizzy |
| Uprising 2019 | August 31st-September 1st, 2019 | 1st | 1st | Raito |
| Mainstage | September 20th-September 22nd, 2019 | 2nd | 1st | Glutonny |
| Smash4Glory #6 | October 3rd, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Ultimate Fighting Arena 2019 | October 4th-6th, 2019 | 1st | 1st | Longo |
| Smash Ultimate Summit 2 | October 24th-27th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 213 | October 28th, 2019 | 2nd | — | — |
| Wednesday Night Fights 3.13 | October 31st, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Canada Cup 2019 | November 1st-3rd, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Soda Smash XVI | November 17th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash'n'Sip #31 | November 19th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| VCA 2019 | November 23rd-24th, 2019 | 1st | 13th | Longo |
| Weicheischuppen Jr. #32 | November 27th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GG: Kickoff - Kongo Saga | December 6th, 2019 | 1st | — | — |
| 2GG: Kongo Saga | December 7th-8th, 2019 | 1st | 1st | Glutonny |
| GENESIS 7 | January 24th-26th, 2020 | 2nd | 2nd | Glutonny |
| MKSunday #62 | February 2nd, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| Frostbite 2020 | February 21st-23rd, 2020 | 1st | 13th | Dark Wizzy |
| Ultimate Naifu Wars 8 |
March 27th, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series Opening Invitational |
March 29th, 2020 | 7th | — | — |
| Ultimate Naifu Wars 9 |
April 17th, 2020 | 13th | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1 |
April 18th-19th, 2020 | 17th | — | — |
| Pound Online |
April 24th-26th, 2020 | 17th | — | — |
| BUK CAKES INVITATIONAL 1 |
April 30th, 2020 | 5th | — | — |
| Ultimate Naifu Wars 10 |
May 1st, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| The Quarantine Series: Major Tournament 1 |
May 2nd, 2020 | 2nd | — | — |
| The Box |
May 8th-10th, 2020 | 33rd | — | — |
| Ultimate Naifu Wars 11 |
May 15th, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| King of WiFi Random Characters |
May 30th, 2020 | 2nd | — | — |
| Captain's Quarters 1 |
June 5th-6th, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| Ultimate Naifu Wars 12 |
June 12th, 2020 | 5th | — | — |
| Captain's Quarters 2 |
June 19th-20th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| Playing for Pride |
June 20th-21st, 2020 | 4th | — | — |
| The Box: Lunch Box 1 |
June 24th, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| Ultimate Naifu Wars 13 |
June 27th, 2020 | 5th | — | — |
| Flat Realm #6 |
June 27th-28th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| The Box: The Cube Charity Doubles Invitational |
July 24th, 2020 | — | 3rd | Maister |
| Flat Realm 7 |
July 31st, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| Juice Box #8 |
August 5th, 2020 | 33rd | — | — |
| Epic_Tournament |
August 7th-8th, 2020 | 7th | — | — |
| Lockhart Series |
August 9th, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| Elympics 1 |
August 15th, 2020 | 9th | — | — |
| The Collective 2 |
August 16th, 2020 | 7th | — | — |
| Zinc Tank 3 |
August 16th, 2020 | 5th | — | — |
| Juice Box 10 |
August 19th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series: ONLINE |
August 22nd, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| THE 8.0 GIMVITATIONAL |
August 23rd, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| The Box: Lunch Box 3 |
August 26th, 2020 | 2nd | — | — |
| Maister's RNG Invitational |
September 25th, 2020 | 3rd | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series 3: ONLINE |
November 8th, 2020 | 17th | — | — |
| Ultimate 32 |
November 14th-15th, 2020 | 1st | — | — |
| The Sephiroth Gimvitational |
Janurary 2nd-3rd, 2021 | 2nd | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series 4: ONLINE |
January 17th, 2021 | 7th | — | — |
| The Airlock |
February 13th, 2021 | 2nd | — | — |
| SWT: Mexico Ultimate Online Qualifier |
March 13th-14th, 2021 | 2nd | — | — |
| Frame Perfect Series 5: ONLINE |
April 18th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Alzheimer's |
June 24th-25th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| SWT: Central America Ultimate Regional Finals | August 21st-22nd, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Ultimate Summit 3 | August 26th-29th, 2021 | 2nd | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 241 | August 30th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| Mega Smash Mondays 242 | September 6th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| Riptide | September 10th-12th, 2021 | 1st | 4th | naitosharp |
| Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code | September 24th-26th, 2021 | 2nd | 3rd | BigBoss |
| Low Tide City 2021 | October 1st-3rd, 2021 | 1st | 2nd | Javi |
| Port Priority 6 | October 30th-31st, 2021 | 1st | 2nd | Javi |
| Uptown Smash #5 | November 6th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| Mainstage 2021 | November 12th-14th, 2021 | 1st | 5th | Javi |
| Smash World Tour 2021 Championships | December 17th-19th, 2021 | 1st | — | — |
| Smash Ultimate Summit 4 | March 3rd-6th, 2022 | 4th | — | — |
| G4 Smash Ultimate Invitational | March 7th, 2022 | 3rd | — | — |
| Collision 2022 | March 12th-13th, 2022 | 3rd | 1st | Glutonny |
| Game Lab Smash #34 | March 18th, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| Delfino Maza RETA 2022 | April 1st-3rd, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| GENESIS 8 | April 15th-17th, 2022 | 1st | 2nd | BigBoss |
| Pound 2022 | April 22nd-24th, 2022 | 2nd | — | — |
| Ultimate Tropical Arena | May 21st, 2022 | 2nd | — | — |
| Relax & Smash at GeekFest Cancún | June 3rd-5th, 2022 | 1st | 1st | Law |
| E-Caribana | June 19th, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| 95 Kings of Fields 2 | June 25th-26th, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| COLOSSEL 2022 | July 2nd-3rd, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| Double Down 2022 | July 8th-10th, 2022 | 2nd | 2nd | BigBoss |
| Smash Factor 9 | July 29th-31st, 2022 | 1st | 1st | BigBoss |
| Super Smash Con 2022 | August 11th-14th, 2022 | 5th | 1st | Sisqui |
| Rise 'N Grind | August 19th-21st, 2022 | 1st | 1st | Chag |
| Smash Ultimate Summit 5 | September 15th-18th, 2022 | 9th | — | — |
| Ludwig Smash Invitational | October 21st-23rd, 2022 | 1st | — | — |
| Scuffed World Tour | December 18th, 2022 | 5th | — | — |
| Let's Make Big Moves 2023 | January 6th-8th, 2023 | 4th | 2nd | BigBoss |
| GENESIS 9 | January 20th-22nd, 2023 | 1st | 33rd | MKBigBoss |
| MSM ZERO.2 | January 23rd-24th, 2023 | 1st | — | — |
| Collision 2023 | March 10th-12th, 2023 | 9th | 4th | MKBigBoss |
| Smash Ultimate Summit 6 | March 23rd-26th, 2023 | 9th | — | — |
| MAJOR UPSET | April 1st-2nd, 2023 | 2nd | 1st | MKBigBoss |
| Battle of BC 5 | May 19th-21st, 2023 | 13th | 1st | MKBigBoss |
| Crown the Third | June 3rd-4th, 2023 | 5th / 418 | 3rd / 99 | Maister |
| Wavedash 2023 | June 16th-18th, 2023 | 1st / 330 | 1st / 54 | MKBigBoss |
Trivia
- The "Mk" in his gamertag stands for "Monster Kingdom", which is the former name of a local game store owned by his brother.[11] The store now operates as "mk.nime" and focuses on selling anime merchandise and hosting Super Smash Bros. tournaments. Since Mk is also a common acronym for Meta Knight and that MkLeo started his rise while maining Meta Knight in Smash 4, many have incorrectly assumed that is what his gamertag means.[12]
- He frequently uses gamertag "seulgi", an homage to his favorite member of Korean girl group Red Velvet.
- Prior to Smash@Tier3 Volume 6, he had won every single Mexican Super Smash Bros. for Wii U tournament that he had entered. However, Serge (his cousin) managed to double-eliminate him at said tournament, ending his 6-months streak.
- 2GGC: Civil War and EVO 2017 stand as MkLeo's worst tournaments, placing 65th at both.
- MkLeo is also a very skillful doubles player, especially with set partners.
- MkLeo and his cousin Javi have only ever lost five doubles tournaments teaming together. As such, they are considered to be one of the best doubles teams in the world, winning the "Best Doubles Team in Smash 4" award at Super Smash Con 2017.
- In addition, prior to Cloud's ban from doubles, MkLeo and komorikiri had never lost a doubles tournament, notably winning Super Smash Con 2017, 2GGC: SCR Saga, Shine 2017, and GameTyrant Expo 2017. As a result, they were widely considered to be one of the greatest Smash 4 doubles teams of all time.
- In Ultimate, MkLeo enters doubles with Glutonny in majors, winning doubles at Mainstage, 2GG: Kongo Saga and Collision 2022 and finishing 2nd at GENESIS 7.
- MkLeo has won the largest prize check for Smash 4 for winning the 2GG Championship, earning $20,000.
- MkLeo's ability to make a comeback in Ultimate sets is so strong that from the release of Ultimate to throughout 2021, he has won roughly half of the best-of-5 sets where he started the set 0-2 at PGRU events. He is the only player to hold this title out of players that have started out 0-2 in at least eight sets at PGRU events.
- From MomoCon 2019, up to and including the Smash World Tour 2021 Championships, Leo would place no lower than 2nd place at every offline tournament he attended.
External links
- Twitter account
- Mkgming Twitter account
- Twitch channel
- Mkgming Twitch channel
- Metafy profile
- YouTube channel
- Mkgming YouTube channel
- Facebook page
- Mkgming Facebook page
- SSBWorld profile
- Smashdata profile (Smash 4)
- Smashdata profile (Ultimate)
- SmashBoards interview
Gameplay videos
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
- MKLeo vs Mr. R - Smash Factor 4 - Grand Finals - Smash Wii U
- IQHQ Vinnie RZ Leo Grand Finals
- HY M(k) Leo vs SC Serge - GRAND FINALS - Smash@Tier3 Vol6
- SF5 Smash 4 - SF HDG | MKLeo (Marth, Metaknight) Vs. Mr. R (Sheik) SSB4 Grand Finals - Smash Wii U
- SF5 Smash 4 - dT Dabuz (Rosalina, Olimar) Vs. SF | MKLeo (Metaknight, Cloud) SSB4 LF - Smash Wii U
- KTAR XIX - NRG Nairo (ZSS) vs MKLeo (Marth/MK)
- 2GGT: ZeRo Saga - SF | MKLeo (Marth) Vs. TSM | ZeRo (Diddy Kong) Losers Semis - Smash Wii U
- Genesis 4 Smash 4 - C9 | Ally (Mario) Vs. FOX MVG | MkLeo (Marth) SSB4 Winners Finals - Smash Wii U
- GTX 2017 Smash 4 - BSD | Elegant (Luigi) vs FOX MVG | MKLeo (Cloud) Wii G.Finals
- CEO 2018 Smash 4 - Echo Fox | MkLeo (Lucina, Bayo, Marth Vs. Tweek (DK, Bayo) Wii U Grand Finals
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- CEO 2019 SSBU - FOX | MKLeo (Joker) Vs. PG | Marss (ZSS, Falcon) Smash Ultimate Grand Finals
- EVO 2019 Smash Ultimate Grand Finals - TSM | Tweek (Pokemon Trainer) Vs. FOX | MKLeo (Joker)
- SSC 2019 Smash Ultimate Grand Finals - eUnited | Samsora (Peach) VS FOX MVG | MKLeo (Joker)
- Glitch Konami Code Losers Finals - Kola (Roy) Vs. MkLeo (Byleth) Smash Ultimate Tournament
- Mainstage 2021 Grand Finals - T1 | MkLeo (Byleth) vs Sparg0 (Pyra and Mythra)
- GENESIS 8 Winners Finals - T1 | MkLeo (Byleth) vs FaZe | Sparg0 (Cloud)
- Ludwig Smash Invitational Winners Semis - T1 | MkLeo (Byleth) vs ZETA | acola (Steve)
- Ludwig Smash Invitational Grand Finals - T1 | MkLeo (Byleth) vs ZETA | acola (Steve)
References
- ^ Echo Fox signs MkLeo.
- ^ Echo Fox Investors Confirm Echo Fox is 100 Percent Dissolved.
- ^ T1 signs MkLeo.
- ^ Luminosity Gaming signs Tweek and MkLeo.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xBpm3i2i4
- ^ MkLeo's first victory.
- ^ MkLeo quitting online tournaments.
- ^ MkLeo attending Xanadu 400.
- ^ MkLeo on Min Min.
- ^ MkLeo's hearing problems.
- ^ MkLeo Kotaku interview.
- ^ [1]
- Mexican smashers
- Southern California smashers
- Wi-Fi Warriors
- Marth players (SSB4)
- Cloud players (SSB4)
- Bayonetta players (SSB4)
- Lucina players (SSB4)
- Meta Knight players (SSB4)
- Corrin players (SSB4)
- Joker players (SSBU)
- Pyra and Mythra players (SSBU)
- Byleth players (SSBU)
- Corrin players (SSBU)
- Lucina players (SSBU)
- Wolf players (SSBU)
- Marth players (SSBU)
- Ike players (SSBU)
- Cloud players (SSBU)
- Greninja players (SSBU)
- VIP players
- YouTubers
