Hbox Ranks Melee's best Fox players
Super Smash Bros. Melee is an esports scene that goes back decades, meaning there’s plenty of lore and rivalries that shape its history. Well, there’s one tale that the community often forgets — the unforgettable run of Genghis Juan.
If you don’t recall, a Melee player known as Genghis Juan entered the Genesis Black tournament back in 2019, a SoCal regional. Genghis Juan entered the tournament as an unknown entity, only to beat around 170 players to get in 7th place with Fox. He even beat some well-known, top Fox players. Genghis Juan now has something of a cult following.
So what happened to that top Fox player? Where is he now? Okay, well, he wasn’t really an unknown entity! Genghis Juan is a smurf, an alter ego for Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, one of 5 Gods of Melee and the best Jigglypuff player in the world, whenever he chooses not to play Puff. It’s Liquid’s own DontTestMe or Doc Lee. Anyways, Hbox used his vast knowledge of Jigglypuff to excel as Fox, including vertical spacing, calculated back airs, and a very strong neutral thanks to a bait and punish style well-honed through playing Puff for years.
But it’s not just his Jigglypuff skills transferring over. If there’s anyone who knows how to beat Fox, it’s Hungrybox.
Hungrybox has gone against Fox more times than he can remember. He has continuously faced the top Fox players in the world, usually coming out victorious. Fast-paced and full of satisfying kills on both ends, Hungrybox admitted that Fox is actually his favorite matchup. Even if he does flame the character every now and then, he’s not bored of the continued furry opposition. Instead, he’s fueled by it. Maybe even inspired by it.
He watches Fox matches in his spare time. Everything he can do to learn more about Fox he has done aside from having a body pillow. I think. Hell, his doubles partner Justin “Plup” McGrath is a Fox main. We’re getting him to rank the best Foxes for this article! Part of all the fox hype comes from just how good the character is. After Cody Schwab’s year, there’s no denying that Fox is the best fighter on the Melee roster. Hbox breaks down three simple reasons why that is:
- He has the most options (almost all of his moves have utility)
- He has the best move in the game (Shine)
- He has insane speed, kill potential, recovery, and punish game…
It’s not only Fox being undeniably good, though. It’s that Fox is always theoretically better than any player who uses him. There is always room to do more with the space animal.
“Fox is a character where humans will never actually reach peak potential. Over the course of Melee’s history, players have reached higher and higher perfection but nobody can reach his ceiling. It makes it really interesting,” Hungrybox noted.
Still, there are some players that have come close. If there’s anyone who can properly rank the top five Fox players in the world, it’s the man who has studied and faced them all — over and over and over and over again. So, here are Hungrybox’s picks for the top five Fox players in the game.
#5 Mango or Aklo
New Yorker Dawud “Aklo” Rahman is ranked number one in NYC and 10th in the world thanks to his unique (and frustrating) playstyle. Hungrybox noted that he’s “more willing to camp than anyone in the world,” sporting extreme patience and a tough mental game. Sometimes Aklo is even known to taunt his opponents, catching them off guard and getting them heated. It’s that kind of mental fortitude that has helped Aklo consistently place in tournaments the last few years.
It’s possible that Aklo is an even better Fox than Joseph “Mango” Marquez. Or maybe the rivalry between Hungrybox and his long-time nemesis is just dying down, and Hbox is putting his attention elsewhere. The Puff God admitted that he’s still passionate about beating Mango — his rival for two decades — but Mango might not be passionate about beating him.
Hungrybox started to feel the rivalry was dissipating after Mango started using Marth and Falco every time they came face-to-face in a major tournament.
“I’m not calling his other characters bad,” Hungrybox explained, “but he has one of the best Foxes against Puff. And to not use it when he could… I don’t know, it doesn’t seem he’s committed to [other characters]. It’s confusing. Scuffed World Tour [2022] was his last time really trying to beat me with Fox.”
It makes sense, when you think about it. Fox is one of Puff’s worst matchups and Mang0 also knows both sides of the Puff-Fox war, giving him unique strengths. Still, the lack of enthusiasm (and Fox) from Mango has muted the rivalry for Hungrybox. After all, if Mango is going to just pick Dr. Mario… That’s not the kind of taunting that has kept Hungrybox’s attention. Still, from Hbox’s perspective, Mang0 could become a top Fox player again, if he found that fire again.
#4 Plup
In fact, this spot might have gone to Mang0 if he stuck on Fox. For now, Hungrybox gives it to his doubles partner Justin "Plup" McGrath. If Plup was more active, Hungrybox thinks he could’ve climbed number three in 2023, maybe first if he continued beyond this year.
While Plup is Hbox’s fourth best Fox in singles, he thinks Plup is one of the best doubles Fox to ever be. He even called him the God of Doubles, humbly claiming he just “picks up the pieces” when they team up. Given SFAT's retirement, Plup might just be the best Doubles Fox around right now (though he's not around that often).
Said Hbox: “I always forget I’m half of one of the best teams in the world right now. Fox is the best doubles character in the game by far. His Shine, break up clusters, he can combo people… He’s also really good at 2v1 situations. Then Jiggly is one of the best supports with 1HKO options off stray hits. They combo into each other [very well], with Puff getting the KO the quickest because of Rest. It opens up so many opportunities."
We can’t forget Plup’s performances outside of doubles, of course. Despite not attending many events, Plup still got the 5th spot on the SSBMRank 2023. He has strong placements throughout his career, including a first at Genesis 5, second at The Big House 7 and Smash Summit 9, third at EVO 2016, and fourth at CEO 2016. He’s one of the fastest and most technically proficient players in the game, thriving in any meta he’s been in.
#3 Leffen
Perhaps one of the most controversial players of all time, William “Leffen” Hjelte has continued to stand out for his long social media rants but also the undeniable skill to back up the talk. Known as one of the best technical players in the world, Leffen has become the best player in Europe due to his optimized and textbook playstyle. He knows the frame data and hit boxes inside and out — and he does it all at an incredibly fast speed.
“He has a lot of knowledge that other players don’t,” Hungrybox said.
Maybe Leffen can fill the void that Mango has left in the rivalry department. Hungrybox admitted that he hates losing to Leffen and that Leffen hates losing to him as well. The set record is there too. Right now, Hungrybox and Leffen are at a 24 and 25 record against each, nudging it in Leffen’s favor but putting the two on very even footing.
Right now, Hungrybox admitted that it’s “never a good feeling to lose to a Fox player” and that he hopes to have a winning streak against him in the near future. Unfortunately, Leffen is almost certainly taking his foot off the gas this year, planning to enter very few events. So, this rivalry might be over before it starts. It also raises a question of what Fox looks like without Leffen to push the character — and who might take the open spot in the top 5. Zuppy, Joshman, Zamu, and Soonsay all have a good shot at it because despite Leffen’s absence, Fox might be more relevant now than ever.
#2 moky
And they say Canadians are polite. Well, Kurtis "moky" Pratt is not here to make friends. His playstyle is “unique and flashy,” according to Hungrybox, with a focus on being quite aggressive. In fact, “he’ll get in your fucking face” and he’ll even taunt you if you try to camp him. Hungrybox would know.
“He knows he can win the scuffle and is faster than most players,” Hungrybox said.
Moky is a relentlessly creative player too. Few Fox mains show off the multiplicity of combo routes and abundance of advantage options like Moky does, making the Canadian Fox a fan favorite and the rank 4 player this year. If Moky has any weakness, it might just be floaties.
“Weakness” needs some qualifying still, because when you’re at this level you’re beating almost everyone, pretty regularly. But moky does seem to lose more to top floaties than the top fast fallers. Hungrybox recalls him losing to a Peach in CoinBox (though, online isn’t everything, as Hbox knows). And Moky has struggled against top Peach player llod (though their matchup has mostly been online too). Even against Jigglypuff, Moky beats most prominent Puff mains pretty soundly — it’s the Hbox matchup that’s more 50/50.
“That’s a different argument,” Hungrybox said.
Hbox did pretty well against moky in 2022 but in 2023 and 2024, the two have gone back and forth. That’s also the nature of the Puff-Fox matchup at high levels, where small adjustments can make a big difference. Hungrybox keeps some tricks up his sleeve, noting that moky’s confidence can sometimes get in the way, allowing Hbox to catch the Fox main off guard. If it sounds like idle boasting, just remember that in the Puff-Fox matchup, overextending in advantage or taking the bait in neutral can cost you everything.
#1 Cody
It comes as no surprise to see Cody Schwab in the top spot. He may not be the best at popping off, but Cody has other advantages over Hungrybox. It’s not his controller, although that is the focus on social media. It’s not his accuracy, although Hungrybox can’t seem to SDI out of his up airs like he can with other top Fox players. No, it’s his grind.
“It’s his work ethic,” Hungrybox told us. “His old tag was I Be Doing Work… That’s because he puts in hours when many other people don’t. You’re the best for a reason. He’s just an absolute fucking grinder.”
That type of insane game knowledge is terrifying for opponents. Cody won’t only read you perfectly but he has the speed to react. And the accuracy to do it perfectly, not allowing you to escape his wrath once you make one mistake. Or maybe it can be all be chalked up to a classic Hbox-ism:
“He’s just an alien.”
Either way, it’s always one of the most intense matches to watch. If you see Hungrybox and Cody facing off in the top eight, you’re about to witness history. It rewrites itself every time. Despite this pressure — both from Cody’s alien-like abilities and Fox’s undeniable strengths — Hungrybox is, well, hungry for more. He won’t Rest until he has taken down Cody — and not just once. He wants a winning streak.
This could be hard, though.
“Fox has ways of killing Puff at early percents. Lasers can tack [on] damage from anywhere. One bad interaction, Fox grabs you with up throw, up air and kills at 50-65% on legal stages. One grab is almost guaranteed death and you need perfect inputs to get out,” Hungrybox said. “He has [one of] the strongest up smashes in the game and a fast jab that perfectly leads into it. He’s able to kill Puff easier than anyone else in the cast… With Shine, out of shield, frame one options, perfect ledge dash.. Nowhere is safe.”
But if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s Hungrybox. Either way, there’s always another option. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Genghis Juan is still waiting to ride again, to take down these top Foxes at their own game…
…Okay, it’s probably better for everyone if he stays on Puff. Somebody has to humble these space animals with a classic shield grab-up throw-rest. But could you imagine a world where the HFox makes the top 5? With how unique each Fox can be, it’s interesting to wonder what an alternate universe Hbox might do with the character.
