Juan DeBeidma, known in the Smash community as Hungrybox, has won the championships of EVO 2016’s Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament. Hungrybox clashed against Armada, “The Swedish Sniper,” for first place at the world’s largest fighting video game event and won after a gruesome ten-set match.
“It’s a dream,” Hungrybox tells Yahoo! E-Sports minutes after the match’s conclusion. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I feel like I’m born again. I feel like I’ve won the lottery. I feel like I’ve just saved my own life? I don’t even know.”
This year’s Smash Bros. world championship was arguably the most climactic yet. Hungrybox has come extremely close to winning the championship in the past, taking third place in 2013 and second place in 2014 and 2015. Last year he lost first place to Adam “Armada” Lindgren himself, a Swedish smasher who’s considered to be the world’s number one Peach player in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
His determination to win was ever present throughout the match. Earlier in the tournament, Hungrybox found himself in the loser’s bracket. In order to claim the championship trophy, he needed to best Armada in not one but two consecutive best-out-of-five matches. The two iconic Gods of Smash traded wins over the course of their two sets. Armada, playing as Fox, seemed to have the edge in the early game. But as the sets continued, Hungrybox used Jigglypuff’s “wall of pain” to keep Armada at bay, and pulled several risky Rests to take Armada by surprise.
The final fight ended, surprisingly, with an accidental self-destruct by Armada. Unexpectedly, The Swedish Sniper’s aim was off; Armada missed the ledge with a downward Fire Fox on Pokemon Stadium, costing him the match and the championship title. Both Hungrybox and Armada are considered elite Smash players. They each even have episodes dedicated to them in The Smash Brothers, a documentary highlighting the early Super Smash Bros. Melee competitive scene and how it developed over time. Though Hungrybox has made a massive achievement, only time will tell if his rivalry with Armada has been put to rest, or if it has only just truly begun.
The full set, nearly forty-five minutes long, is available below.