Cody Schwab (Fox) vs Zain (Marth) - Melee Singles Grand Final - Shine 2023

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Event Link: www.start.gg/s...

[@ernestomartinez1655]

Cody smiling on his last stock on game 5 went really hard tbh

[@fupalover]

In the interview he said he thought he was up a stock the whole time.

[@JairChavez-kg4tn]

Fox wining both Ultimate and Melee, in a series called shine. No better way to end the story.

[@CaptainLobsterrr]

Spoiler duckhead

[@ikilldpacman]

@@CaptainLobsterrrwhy would you go to the comments then

[@CaptainLobsterrr]

@@ikilldpacman it was the first one showing up on the video for mobile you pus syhead

[@CaptainLobsterrr]

I couldn't avoid reading it du mass the first words are FOX WINING straight up spoiler

[@CaptainLobsterrr]

I DON'T EVEN LIKE MELEE THIS SHII SUCKS

[@eddiestilll]

This is peak Melee, 2 doc kids that play the ubiquitous Fox vs. Marth MU, pushing the meta to its absolute limit even when everyone else thinks that it cannot be further optimized, while racing for #1 in a very mature meta for a 22 year old game. Zain and Cody are legends and this is fitting for the final Shine tournament.

[@AlphaChopstick]

What is scary is Cody technically messed up a lot, I'm sure there were a ton of nerves involved though 😅

[@KingPhilipsRideshare]

What is doc kids? People who saw the doc and were like “huh cool”

[@DesTr069]

@@KingPhilipsRidesharebasically. The doc inspired many new players to pick up the game and join the competitive scene

[@Hellopleesh]

Zain definitely threw it away towards the end but great set nonetheless.

[@Core4Films]

ult as in ultimate smash? lmfao@TreyMM-qz4wg

[@henryreturns1397]

Probably the set of the year , we went from double both Cody and Zain destroying each other with 3-Os into a Game 5 last stock , and last tournament game. THERE IS MUCH MORE MELEE TO BE PLAY !

[@DarkWhatever91]

I think Leffen vs Cody is the set of the year but this is a pretty close second

[@Myst1c_OW]

at which tourney?@@DarkWhatever91

[@TheBeggies95]

Not best of the year since Fox won

[@kupodrinksmilk]

@@DarkWhatever91 I have Jmook vs Zain at Collision for set of the year but hell, there are so many worthy sets to be #1 this year.

[@Myst1c_OW]

cope@@TheBeggies95

[@PetiteGinger69]

Both melee and ultimate having a fox main win set 2 game 5 in the very last tournament that's called "shine" is poetic

[@Frank7489]

Thanks for the spoiler 😭

[@jesiah391]

Dang bruh, ruined the set for me

[@paulpallo5513]

@@jesiah391 What are you doing looking at comments before you watch a set? Someone is gonna spoil it. Never look at the time remaining in the video/never look at comments is the standard for watching any tournament. You played yourself

[@nemi9217]

I don’t care if the scriptwriters got “lazy”, sometimes tropey writing is best writing

[@jesiah391]

@@paulpallo5513 I mean half true, def true that someone is going to spoil no matter what and I should have averted my eyes, but not true I was looking at the comments lol. I wasn’t in the comments, there’s always one comment showing when you’re on mobile and that happened to be showing right under the video. 2 points to consider tho: 1. The comment is actually top tier, the way it played out is def poetic so I say it outweighs the spoil so np 2. I didn’t play myself I played you 🫵🤣

[@danielsalter4649]

HMW is hands down one of the best parts of the melee community

[@CreamyPesto505]

I'd argue the best commentator we've ever had.

[@ExilixE]

I wish HMW & Scar would commentate every set. They have been there since the beginning

[@nahor88]

@@CreamyPesto505 Easily, I think the only time his commentary bugged me was when Armada went YL against Hbox. All he could keep going on about is "this is so stupid". There was actually A LOT going on from a mindgames standpoint, if HMW could look beyond the characters not constantly interacting like he's used to. Almost wish they got a low tier main to commentate that set, cuz we're used to playing that battle of attrition to compensate for what strengths our characters lack.

[@hibernate44]

@@nahor88it was stupid

[@nahor88]

@@hibernate44 Your opinion; commentators are supposed to be unbiased, especially for a major tourney. HMW annoyed the fuck out of those of us actually intrigued by the match-up and game play. It was like watching chess on steroids, and I fucking loved it. If he couldn't say anything constructive, they should have gotten someone who would.

[@dh3913]

Cody haters should really give the guy another chance. Idk why the post game interview isn't here but in it he talks about how much work he's put into his mentality and it really shows. For the last year or so when Cody loses in irl tournaments it is always ggs, almost never johns, he tweets he needs to work harder and he does. Dude smiles on his tournament stock while fighting Zain because he appreciates the game that much. Ik Cody is known for being salty but that shit is always online and honestly his salt levels are FAR from abnormal for the average anonymous online gamer, dude just has a camera on him so we all see it. In person though you can really see how far he's come and I find it extremely admirable, how far his mentality has come and how much he has improved himself (not an easy thing to do) is legitimately extremely impressive. Lets go Cody Fuckin Schwab. Happy you won :)

[@rich7103]

Well judging from the crowd cheering and even twitch chat gave him respect he got a chance. Will every player always have their haters regardless if they improve as a person? Yes but overall those haters are a vocal minority and Cody has turned around his reputation and it's great to see. I hope his surgery for cancer goes well.

[@nicholas930]

​@@rich7103what he has cancer? What did I miss

[@rich7103]

@@nicholas930 Mentioned it in the interview for why he may miss Riptide. Thankfully it was caught early so it's very treatable.

[@IIYamiSanII]

Nah, Im good. Trump haters should really give that guy another chance. Bush haters should really give that guy another chance. Thanos haters should really give that guy another chance. Anakin Skywalker haters should really give that guy another chance. Hulk Hogan haters should really give that guy another chance.

[@simanolastname2399]

​@@IIYamiSanIIholy false equivalence batman!

[@RainWasTaken]

I might be a Zain fan but FUCK that was well deserved Cody

[@DJprofessorK]

Yeah Zain did not make that easy. Huge win for cody

[@lordgeki8863]

Zains Marth might be goated

[@andrewferguson6901]

@@DJprofessorK my first thought after it ended was "DAMN zain made him play such a good set". there was no mercy, that fd m2k game wouldve broken most players. Cody really had to step it up to win and he played some of the best melee ever to do it. there was NO free space the entire time. absolutely unreal precision and speed and knowledge and preparation from both players. that walltech game looked literally like TAS stuff from the old times

[@chroma09]

this set would kill a Victorian era child. Well done Zain and Cody

[@Windraesa]

underrated comment 😅

[@Supertaldo916]

Zain and Cody are setting up to have one of the most memorable rivalries in Melee history. People tend to say that without Mang0 or Hbox the game would die out, but, man, if you ain’t watching Melee right now just because the old guard is slowly fizzling away, you are missing out on some awesome gameplay. I sure hope Amsa and Jmook start coming back into the form they should last year, because Cody, Zain and Leffen are starting to widen the gap from everyone else.

[@aVataR_ehyeh]

Cody and Zain for sure seems s bit ahead of the pack, but Leffen? A bit more all over the place, even if he's had super good results as well.

[@firelifeblizzard8782]

Yo shout out to leffen

[@Dlord1PlayStation]

It's a bit weird to include Leffen when Jmook has more majors than him this year while Leffen barely went to anything to even have bad losses. E.g. imagine if jmook just went to the same amount of tournaments as leffen since the start or the year...people would still think he's top 2.

[@Supertaldo916]

@@Dlord1PlayStation honest to god, your life on the line, would you bet on Jmook or Leffen to win a major with every top 50 player in attendance? Leffen's only lost to top 8 players + Joshman. Jmook has been losing to a lot of people outside of top 10 lately. While I do think Leffen's attendance should leave him out of any ranking, skill wise, Leffen is up there with Cody and Zain, imo. We could theorize how much more or less he would lose to people outside of top 10 if he attended more, but Leffen has a reputation of being extremely consistent.

[@Dlord1PlayStation]

@Supertaldo916 That's a flawed question because 1. most people would have said jmook after Collision, which is my point. You know jmook is still ahead of Leffen in the rankings, right? Leffen wasn't close to jmooks consistency up until that point. Jmooks head to heads were a lot better than leffens last year. Most of these bad losses came from the last few tournaments, which is my point. Same could have happened for leffen if he went to more tournaments. Recall that leffen has been upset many times throughout his career before. 2. Even if I did choose leffen, this doesn't prove that there's as large a gap between them as zain and cody. If leff didn't win LACS5, he wouldn't have even been top 5 in the rankings. That's how small the gap is. So no, leffen has not done enough this year to prove he has a substantial gap over jmook. He could be higher seeding wise because his last tourney win was more recent, but that's it. I'm sure jmook will get out of his slump, as leffen and others have done. Let's wait and see.

[@wilsonsecaur1015]

Cody putting on a huge grin going into his last stock of the last game at the last ever Melee set at Shine, then winning... something about it gives me goosebumps bruh

[@emmbeesea]

This whole tournament was incredible, so many moments to be preserved. But to have this specific Grand Finals matchup for the last iteration of Shine, a tournament series known for its crazy moments, felt so poetic and right. Raising chairs, S2J stomping Plup through Stadium, lloD taking a game off Hbox with Peach for the first time, SFAT counterpicking M2K to FD, and Zain taking his first set off of Axe. And now, the clear #1 and #2 in the world duking it out with everything they had, Set 2, Game 5. May Melee live on for many, many years more. This game is beautiful.

[@Force95042]

Wasn't this Zain's first major win in 2018, as well? Super hype grand finals where he showed he could beat Hbox for the first time

[@jordandwiggins1026]

Am I crazy for my favorite Shine moment being Mekk vs Lucky last year? That was the set that got me back into being obsessed with Melee hilariously enough.

[@kcoz]

cody has some of the best recoveries in the scene, the shine to fast fall recoveries he does off-stage is so interesting. such a good set and great commentary.

[@GioHimonPro]

That smile on his last stock redeemed Cody for me. What a freaking set they played!! This game never looked more optimized.

[@Amaling]

Redeemed? What was he doing that was bad?

[@johnkramer2144]

@@Amalingthey probably are referring to all the stuff he says on his streams when he’s playing. A lot of times he comes off as toxic. Watch his online matches between him and KJH recently, it’s almost like he has beef. Me personally, I think he uses anger to motivate his progress.

[@peashooter6628]

@johnkramer2144 kalindi and cody are good friends bruh, I assure you it's nothing serious

[@SJB123heehee]

Badass from Cody fr

[@johnkramer2144]

@@peashooter6628 Good, cause for the outsider layman, that session was intense.

[@funkymag77]

Highest level of play I've ever seen in a set. Been watching since '14

[@il100374]

Same

[@mocha7952]

Same. Amazing. Amsa v Zain was pretty insane too though.

[@MrKing_MC]

The Ending Shine Deserved. What a fantastic Grand Finals from both Zain and Cody.

[@JtCoronaOnTheMic]

Shine left it’s best for last! It was an absolute blast screaming from the second row all night. Shine will live forever

[@peeron6829]

Im sry im not that informed but why is it the last shine event? :(

[@JtCoronaOnTheMic]

These things aren’t cheap to run unfortunately

[@ziggensgames]

Saw it front row and will never forget it. Great grand finals, what a show!

[@snared_]

so jealous man, what a great performance!!

[@CSharp__]

this was my first major ever, holy smokes man i couldn't agree more

[@TheTWolf89]

Instantly became one of the most iconic and legendary sets in Melee history. Between the amazing competitors, the commentators, and the crowd, this was so hype! Was rooting so hard for Zain but Cody played out of his mind, huge props to him!

[@CaptainFalchion]

Incredibly clutch by Cody!! He’s so good at the Marth matchup… Man what a grand finals, what a perfect intense finish to the Shine series. The first and only spacie to win Shine

[@Cam101077]

That may have been the most advanced, skillful match of melee I have ever seen. Amazing

[@Lioni177]

What an all-time set, instant classic

[@wusstunes]

First time melee just straight up made me smile in while

[@vzy8354]

The year is 2023, you can only be accepted in grands if your tag is your real name 👍🏻

[@samkittredge7353]

Winners into the was some of the best Melee I’ve ever witnessed. Both were playing so well and the tension there was off the charts. So glad I got to see this live, and what a send off for the Shine series!!

[@muqmanor]

I didn't think anyone would ever dethrone Mang0 vs. Leffen as my favorite player matchup to watch, but Cody and Zain have done it. *Every single time* I watch these two play I feel like I'm watching the future of Melee in real time. No two players can come close to the collective height of skill that they reach when they're both on and it's fucking beautiful to watch. They're starting to build a case for greatest rivalry in Melee history.

[@adamquenano8563]

Two Spacies Shined at the last tournament

[@YUXKE]

Zain letting his food cook up to 200% way too often. Needed more early kill confirms.

[@Windraesa]

Marthritis is marth's version of Spacie tax

[@il100374]

Phenomenal grand finals. I don't know how anyone ever beats Zain. Cody clutch af. That 2nd to last stock game 5 was so sick

[@Pres98Rivera]

What an amazing grand finals, that was one of the closest 3-0s I’ve seen in a long time and then a game 5 last stock game to finish off True Finals. Nah man, just another showcase of why Melee will never die.

[@JtCoronaOnTheMic]

Cody vs Zain this night in matches: 6-5 with TWO 3-0s

[@juggernautstark1]

Peak-exciting gameplay. The ledge trap to offstage edge guard interactions were insane.

[@mrmagongus]

This is what it looks like when the two best players in the world face off. The mind games run so deep. The defense is actually mind-boggling, on both sides, but Cody especially...he must be so frustrating to play against.

[@adamquenano8563]

“No one’s ever played melee as good as Zain” Crimson Blur 2023

[@peashooter6628]

People always say Zain is better than anyone else has ever been at melee, but cody is literally right there

[@SonGohan-fx3vb]

@@peashooter6628Zain is still better on results for this year. Has made grands in 7/10 majors for this year, and 7/9 for majors he’s attended

[@johnkramer2144]

@@peashooter6628If Zain had been on winners side this tournament, Grand Finals would have been less than 9 minutes. That hasn’t happened at a major since Armada vs Mango at one of the Genesis tournaments more than 6 years ago. Let that sink it.

[@matthewthompson8625]

@@johnkramer2144 Eh, you can't really say that. The player on winner's never plays their best because they're not looking elimination in the face, and they're usually not as warmed up as the loser's player. There's no way to know how the set would have gone if zain came from winner's. Sure, it could have been a 3-0 for zain, or cody could have 3-0ed for the reset like zain did and then have the same 5-game final set. We're not living in the timeline where zain came from winner's, so there's no way to know how it would have gone.

[@peashooter6628]

@SonGohan-fx3vb I'm not talking about results in tournament, I'm talking purely about melee technical ceilings, Cody is definitely on the same level if not better

[@GiovanniGiiioTorralba]

For that kind of GF is why I love melee!!

[@TehWhiteTiger]

Ok it is pretty damn fitting for a double Fox victory for the final Shine.

[@Ihadtochangemyusername]

I don’t understand how these guys can go back and forth beating each other up so badly.. they have more ridiculous one sided beat down games ON BOTH SIDES then any other two top player f2f

[@atari_hmb]

For the last shine this was definitely memorable glad i went good stuff Cody

[@teriserugi1198]

maybe the sickest set i've ever seen

[@phil_matic]

All that flubbing on the final stocks made it so much more tense lol. Good matches

[@pedrohdalla]

Man I do love this game

[@spencer1531]

Incredible set of my favorite player matchup. Insane to watch someone beat Zain when he's playing that well

[@eftorq]

It's impressive to see both Zain and Cody develop into abolsute menaces. Zain became famous as the different Marth with swagger and style but now he's also deadly precise like M2K was in his prime. Kind of reminded me of him, in some moments he was like a concrete wall. Cody for famous with the cracked Fox tech skill but now has a lot of the Mang0 esque "just wing it" play to him. Endless mix ups and creativity but still cracked tech skill. It's kind of interesting to see their style develop over the years, the skill ceiling in this is nowhere to be reached.

[@matt-eo3gg]

Cody’s recoveries are so good

[@terzax9]

set of the year

[@CyanPHD]

Spolierz: Bro, having Cody and Light win both Melee and Ult, is the most fitting ending for Shine ever. Double Fox WWWWWW🎉❤

[@brianronan1905]

Game 2 of reset made me a Cody fan. That was pure heat, this guy pulls every trick out of his arsenide a magician. Normally a fox hater but this guy is a beast

[@125conman]

Wish i could of seen it live! Looking forward to watching the highlights from Walt this week.

[@nak6608]

GREAT SET. That's one for the books for sure

[@Seth_Campbell]

CODY!!! Set of the year

[@JjackporterP]

please never let this game die

[@itsrottweiler9545]

This is my favorite set in melee history

[@huckleberry_finn]

BRING BACK SHINE 2024!!

[@krismover]

some of the best melee i've witnessed since goml 2019. simply unbelieveable. a set truly earning the title of "true finals."

[@michaelyoung3054]

Melee is so sick!

[@tetros5265]

"Good set but I wish the video was longer so it didn't spoil the first set"

[@cozyshack5011]

Historical tourney. It's truly spectacular seeing how far the melee meta has come. Not only are we pushing what is capable within the game, but we are pushing the human brain to it's limit

[@hideharu-xiii8852]

Shine 2023 is a contender for best tournament ever

[@Reverbiration]

Its been the Cody/Zain tier this whole year

[@JackDaniels-ru2xy]

I never say this, but Cody was actually doing shit I’ve never/rarely seen. The way he was edge guarding Marth with those shines. Amazing

[@alih6685]

Phenomenal commentary. A few recent tournaments have been nearly unlistenable with stupid internet jokes and commentators who provide no substance. Glad the last Shine wasn’t one of them.

[@RythmicROFL]

A hell of a way to send off Shine. ❤❤❤

[@RickyG93]

If the era before Zain was the era of gods then this is the era of titans and these two are definitely titans.

[@IAMMRON]

THE SHWAB

[@joeysummers8830]

Codys sweater looks like it needs to be coloured in. I like it 😅

[@andrewcass9177]

Both winners playing Fox, both winners from around New England, both winners getting shine combos during the set, both winners popping off and really caring a lot about winning this particular tournament. And both grand finals being some of the best Smash we’ve seen in a long time. Perfection ❤️ I’m glad Shine went out on top

[@CreamyPesto505]

Has Zain ever won a game 10 in a major? I'm too lazy too look it up. It really seems to be an issue for him.

[@charliedemottwildey8575]

yo melee is SO sick. Both games had legendary grands at this Shine. Smash rules

[@trashman1791]

Glad to see most of these comments congratulating cody ans recognizing how insane his fox is, it seems like for a long time people gave him shit for small reasons and called his fox boring and basic.

[@xTheReapersSpawn]

Much respect to the new school. Holdin it down! It ain't esports, it's competitive gaming.

[@thebrewsky26]

Good shit Cody, Zain too. That was one of the best matches I've ever seen. Melee is so sick

[@FritzyBeat]

The video length is such a bait. lol Great set~

[@sharsasuke01]

13:36 That f smash to cover Zain's dash back was cool.

[@EmissaryOfSmeagol]

It's crazy how much some players have been able to push the Fox counterplay on Marth. I have a feeling that this set is going to be a hallmark in the meta.

[@aidanmcconnell5638]

15:34 "how did he get the Doraki... in Chillin we trust... up-air the red marth like he's chillin... the fendrick lamar?!... MewTwoKing!..." basically just namedropping for 30 seconds from the commentators lmao

[@ThisIsWEB]

Shine with the goated send-off set.

[@guymanguy]

What an amazing set, cody woke tf UP at set 2. Game 5 of set 2 is one of the most tense games ive seen in a long time.

[@symphoniez]

Cody squeaked it out mainly due to his recoveries. It was more of a case of Zain not capitalizing, then Cody dominating.

[@fp45]

HE BE DOIN WORK

[@DDracon]

Gets my vote for best set of the year and best commentary of the year. Kudos to all!

[@polarchips]

What a fucking SET. We've been spoiled with the melee this summer

[@DisaffectedNPC]

[EVERYBODY LIKE THIS POST TO DEPOSE THE ONE FULL OF SPOILERS THAT'S CURRENTLY SHOWING IMMEDIATELY FOR PHONE USERS KTHX] (no shade at the guy who posted - he was clearly just excited)

[@TrevsTreehouse]

I live in MURRAY, Ky and im trying to organize a tournament soon

[@morganvangele5358]

what a time to be alive. how many esports can serve you a fresh pantheon every 5 years?

[@TiaSp]

LET'S GO IBDW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Mysticulum]

Best Marth/Fox i've ever seen. Legends ❤

[@Philostipher]

So fucking hype dude

[@justinc6698]

Highest level melee play I’ve ever seen 🤯🤯🤯🤯 Great work, Cody!

[@matthanyfiedtano4175]

Game 5 was bananas

[@kayossangel]

what a fucking good set

[@steven5301]

Cody be tizzed when he pop off 😂😂😂

[@eldizo_]

😭crazy grand finals

[@EtropolisGhost]

Vicious display of skill by both players

[@crisXD2010]

Wow what a beautiful set man !

[@davados122]

22:23 insane coverage into that shine OOS

[@tuxedoweasel8615]

Goated set, instant classic

[@riffz6065]

Cody getting that bussy is what made him win.

[@DJprofessorK]

Fuck yes, let’s go Cody! Huge for the boy

[@tobyfx6376]

Didnt Ultimate end the same? 3-0 set 1, reset, 2-1 and the fox came back to win.. that’s insane. Here for the journey to #1 Mr. Schwab

[@pencilkid1123]

What an amazing experience that was to be there for!!! The this is shine chant ruined my ears sitting right next to but it was all so amazing to watch