The San Jose Convention Center ignited this past Friday as GENESIS 4 kicked off, bringing world class Super Smash Bros. to the masses. The fourth iteration in the GENESIS tournament series not only held tournaments for both Melee and Smash 4, but also housed Smash 64, Street Fight 5, Rivals of Aether, and Catherine. Controversy aside, GENESIS 4 was a smashing success, garnering the attention of upwards of 120 thousand concurrent viewers. To put that in perspective, that's enough people to fill the entirety of the Michigan Football Stadium and still have people remaining!

While some matches had everyone on their feet, others fell flat and ended abruptly. To create amazing sets, we need three things: Impact, Difficulty, and Flair.

A complete blowout is no fun to watch. Having an all out brawl with your opponent is. The difficulty of a match leaves fans on the edge of their seat. Forced to pick a faction in this all out war, it engages viewers to stand up and shout with excitement.

There is nothing that generates more electricity than an amazing combo. A quick flashy combo or edge guard creates reverberations of cheers and awe from inspired fans and commentators alike. If a match has flair, you will hear it in the venue; it demands your attention.

With that context in mind, let's take a look at 3 of the most impressive matches from GENESIS 4.

3. S2J vs Armada, Top 64

Johnny “S2J” Kim is one of Southern California’s finest Super Smash Bros. Melee players. Known for his explosive combos and aggressive style of play, Johnny “S2J” Kim is ranked 16th in the world and 3rd in his region. In this slobberknocker of a match S2J is pitted against one of his greatest demons, in a set that was absolutely one for the history books. His opponent? The best Super Smash Bros. Melee player in the world currently, Adam “Armada” Lindgren.

Armada is no stranger to highlight reel matches. Whether it be a dominant performance, or creating dramatic tension and then tearing it away leaving no prisoners. Armada is the golden boy of the Smash Bros. Melee scene.

Their match history is nothing short of tyranny. In the last six years S2J has taken one game off of Armada. In terms of sets, S2J has never beaten the “Swedish Beast”. This set however, was a superb clinic on what professional Smash Bros. Melee looks like. The beauty of difficulty meets pure mechanical execution and the peaks and valleys of the fight for control of the match was on display. A fun fact that succinctly describes just how good Armada has gotten is this: the only people to still have a winning record on Armada’s Peach is Silent Spectre (1-0) and Japanese player Captain Jack (2-0).

The match itself began during Top 64 of the winners bracket. S2J played his trademarked Captain Falcon. Armada chose his staple in Princess Peach. It is widely accepted that Falcon takes an edge over Peach. But, Armada is completely an outlier here, rarely dropping games in general, and almost never to Captain Falcon.

Game one and two started like everyone expect it would -- Armada tossing around S2J, trouncing him for the first two to three minutes of the match, leaving Johnny on the roped. S2J took stock after stock, digging his way out of the trenches and capturing back to back games in amazing fashion. Johnny being a crowd favorite garnered the attention of most, but what would happen next would lock their focus for the remainder of the set.

But, you can not count out Armada. Ever.

Again, Armada reminds us why he is considered the best. Answering back with two games of his own to tie the series, and forcing a game 5. The next match would decide the fate of the number 1 seeded player at the tournament. Would Armada be upset, and have to make a losers bracket run?

No.

Capturing game five away from S2J. Completing a three game comeback and beating on of Melee’s top talents is not only a tall order, but incredibly daunting. The beauty of this match and Melee in particular is that, within a certain degree, S2J beating Armada is believable. Armada showcased that he is truly, in all meanings of the phrase, “a god amongst men”.

2. Armada / Android vs Leffen / Ice, Melee Double's Grand Finals

Smash Melee Doubles Finals has always been looked at as a prerequisite to reach Top 8. You had to slog through doubles to get to the real game. “Just a mess of 4 Smash Bros. characters running around without rime or reason” seemed to be a consensus opinion for the longest time. You could not have found a more fitting set to literally smash the paradigm.

In the red corner we have Team Alliance. Home to the best Smash Melee player in the world, Adam “Armada” Lindgren partnered with his brother, Andreas “Android” Lindgren. And in the blue trunks we have the “god-slayer” himself, William “Leffen” Hjelte teaming up with one of the most technical Fox players to ever play the game, Mustafa “Ice” Akcakaya.

Having lost earlier in the bracket to Leffen and Ice, Team Alliance were fighting from the losers bracket. A complete and utter inferno erupted; both teams roared into the match, trading stock after stock, match after match. Team Alliance clawed their way into a bracket reset, beating Ice and Leffen 3 - 1. This may have been the best performance from Team Alliance in recent memory. Not only did the team as a whole play well, but Android went berserk. Finding himself time and time again in the clutch, he did exactly what his brother would do.

Win.

Android would not sit in his brother's shadow any longer. He had his own light, and Leffen and Ice were definitely caught off guard by the intensity of its illumination. The second set went to a game five, leaving it to a figurative “knife fight”. Yoshi’s Story is the smallest legal stage in Smash Melee. Add that with 4 characters on the screen instead of 2 and you're in for the most aggressive and action packed Melee you’ve ever seen.

They did not disappoint.

Team Alliance stormed into an early and demanding lead, that they snowballed into a quick and decisive victory. The brothers of Team Alliance achieved their revenge from  the team that knocked them out of winners bracket. Not only did they win, but they won, twice. Folks, the drama and storylines that Melee brings is unparalleled. This stuff writes itself.

1. Mango vs Leffen, Losers Quarter Finals

With how electric this set was, you would swear it was grand finals. On the contrary, this was Losers Quarter Finals. The loser of this set took 5-6th. With the level of play and pure excitement of this set, you literally will see majority of the crowd on their feet. This has been the loudest i’ve heard a Melee crowd in recent memory. It was so close and so emotional, there were even reports of people crying.

This set will go down in history as one of the best sets in Melee history.

Joseph “Mang0” Marquez is the quintessential Melee player—aggressive, flashy, and momentum based. Melee It On Me (MIOM) ranks Mango 3rd in the world as of 2016. That aside, he is credited as being one of, if not, the greatest Melee players in the history of the game. His character of choice has varied throughout the years -- first starting on Jigglypuff, then migrating to Falco, now finding some middle ground between Fox, Falco, and sometimes will even dabble with Marth. Mango’s opponent, whom he does have a winning record against, was Leffen.

Aptly nicknamed the “God Slayer” after beating all “Five Gods of Melee”, William “Leffen” Hjelte changed the world, showing us that the “gods” were indeed mortal.  Returning after being unable to enter the United State due to visa troubles, he has proven time and time again that he is world class. MIOM ranks Leffen as the 5th best player in the world.

After going tit-for-tat and taking the win during game one, Mango uncharacteristically missed a ledge grab and dropped the second game in nail biting fashion. To say that just one game was a “nail biter” would be an understatement. In game three, Leffen answers back setting the score to 2 - 1.  Set point, Mango does the unthinkable and roars back with 2 straight games, advancing him forward in the bracket. Everyone on their feet chanting his name, I am sure Mango will remember this moment. The moment at GENESIS 4 where he partook in the greatest set of all time.

If you have never seen a professional set of Super Smash Bros. Melee, I highly recommend you watch this. If this does not give you chills, I would schedule a doctor’s appointment.

You may not be human.

Written by @Volamel

Image credits courtesy of Nintendo and VGBootCamp.