DreamHack Atlanta 2022 preview: Melee’s best inactive players duke it out - Upcomer
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Some of the best inactive Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world will attend DreamHack Atlanta 2022 this weekend. Based on their performances, some of them could make a last-minute bid for a high spot on the year-end rankings.

In addition, this event will be the last Panda Cup Finale qualifier event prior to the on-site Last Chance Qualifier, with two spots up for grabs in both the Melee and Ultimate brackets. Here’s an overview of the players to watch out for at DreamHack Atlanta 2022.

Some of the best inactive Melee players face off

DreamHack Atlanta 2022 will only be the second Melee tournament of the year for the prospective first seed, Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman. His first tournament was the Mexican regional Viva la Smash, where he did not drop a single game. Between his Marth and his Sheik, Mew2King should be well-equipped to face the Fox and Captain Falcon mains he is likely to play at DreamHack.

Meanwhile, Ben “SFOP” Duren need not worry too much about his placement at this event, since he has already qualified for the Panda Cup Finale. At his only major so far this year, Lost Tech City 2022, SFOP overcame Ben “Ben” Strandmark, Aljon “Franz” Apilado, Yasin “Mekk” Mekki, John “KoDoRiN” Ko and Zac “SFAT” Cordoni en route to fifth place.

Despite being fairly active at online tournaments, Jason “Gahtzu” Diehl entered his first in-person majors of the year last month. He placed 17th at The Big House 10 and 25 at the Ludwig Smash Invitational LCQ. In particular, Gahtzu’s Big House run included wins over Avery “Ginger” Wilson, Christian “Salt” Rennie and James “Duck” Ma.

Finally, Colin “Colbol” Green’s only prior major this year was The Big House 10. At that tournament, he defeated Adrian “Skerzo” Chavez before finishing in 33rd place. Colbol also boasts regional wins over players like Logan “Logan” Dunn, Jordan “Panko” Kiser and Dillon “Grab” Draper.

Ultimate players to watch at DreamHack Atlanta 2022

On the Ultimate side, DreamHack Atlanta 2022 is similarly set to feature inactive top players from Georgia like Carrington “Wrath” Osborne and DDee. DDee’s only prior major this year was MomoCon 2022. There, he eliminated Jake “Jake” Silberman, Rasheen “Dark Wizzy” Rose, Luis “Lui$” Oceguera Ramos, Alexis “Goblin” Stennett, and Michael “Riddles” Kim. With a similar run at this event, DDee could qualify for the Panda Cup Finale.

Meanwhile, Jestise “MVD” Negron is coming into this tournament following a ninth-place finish at Port Priority 7 that saw him beat Salvatore “Zomba” DeSena and Gakuto “Gackt” Ito. As a result, he may be the frontrunner among the non-Georgian players to qualify for the Panda Cup Finale.


Dylan Tate is an alumnus of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a gaming journalist with a love for Nintendo esports, particularly Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon.


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