There is no question that Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma is the most polarizing figure in the realm of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Ten years deep as a competitor, he's seen fans discount him, his performances and his character selection, some even believing that he's killing the game with each set. Top players aren't concerned with that line of thought, though. Instead, they are pondering the best way to go through him: a change in strategy, grinding out matches against Abhishek "Prince Abu" Prabhu until the bracket runner calls their match, or even through a character swap.
The doubt, not being the top pick, being second fiddle; all that's nothing new to Hungrybox. When he truly gained national attention at GENESIS, he was in the backdrop due to the rise of the Mango-Armada rivalry. When Joseph "Mango" Marquez locked away Jigglypuff from usage for good, Hungrybox became the prominent Puff player, and the torch has shown no signs of being extinguished or leaving his clutches. When it seemed like Adam "Armada" Lindgren's initial reign of terror with Peach would be unstoppable, he secretly developed a Young Link in order to keep pace with the prominent Puff player.
Once considered a roadblock on the path to success when it seemed like others had surpassed him, this year has been one where he has shown time and time again that you can't count him out. Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman had a reign, Mango was on top, Armada has been the top dog in the field, Kevin "PPMD" Nanney has had a point in his career where he was arguably the best to pick up a controller. Before, Hungrybox may have been considered a transitional champion, but since MLG's finals in October of last year, it is becoming more and more clear that we may just be in the era of Hungrybox.
