A brief history of MELEE-FC
In early 2004, MELEE-FC was first announced to fill the summer void left by the TG series after MattDeezie left the scene. Hosted at Trinity Evangelical Free Church, participants were allowed to stay in the venue and had meals provided as a part of their entry fee. The newly-designed ruleset was recognized as a great compromise between East and West Coast rules at the time, and the framework was followed for both future FCs and Major League Gaming during its time on the circuit. While Deezie would swoop in later with the announcement of a final TG that same summer, MELEE-FC1 still pulled in a regionally diverse crowd of 97 people, setting a record number of participants for the time until TG6 broke it a month later, and Ken walked away with the title.
Over the following year, East Coast and West Coast rivalries continued to simmer. Ken and Wes combined to suggest a final crew battle showdown using KishSquared’s rules, and the Ship provided MELEE-FC3 as the battleground. It brought in virtually the entirety of the Top 50 players in the country, as each region put together a team to fight out the crew battles. With no competing nationals, the tournament size more than doubled from the previous year as everyone came out. In the crew battles, the East Coast dominated every other team, proving its regional superiority at the time, but singles was dominated by West Coast as Ken yet again emerged triumphant despite a strong challenge from Sastopher. Also, a chicken ran around the church gym one night.
MELEE-FC6 occurred during the middle of the MLG 2006 season, one of the best series of tournaments in Smash history. It pushed total attendance over 200 for the first time, and PC Chris won yet another tournament during the year of his ascension to the top of Melee. It is also where KishSquared got deathly ill and the tournament's smooth operation was saved by one heroic Joshu. HERO JOSHU, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
FC Diamond was the last hurrah for the series, taking place in 2007. It was sponsored by Major League Gaming, and the event had to be capped at 256 due to the size of the venue. The finals came down to an incredibly intense set between Mew2King and PC Chris, with Mew2King triumphing and taking home the final FC title. Close to $10,000 dollars in prizes were awarded at this event, setting a record for independent tournaments. Unfortunately the only legacy achievement was the spinning toothbrush.
MELEE-FC was the premiere independent tournament series of its time. And now, it’s time for another party.
MELEE-FC10R
August 12-14, 2012
More information to come within a couple weeks, and you will like it.
Brought to you by the Ship of Fools, Kings of the Back Room.
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