Widely recognized as not only one of his country’s most accomplished players but one of the best Luigi mains in the world, Eddy has been in the community for almost ten years now, recalling his first tournament as being all the way back in October the 28th, 2006. “I started playing competitively right at the cusp of Melee’s golden age and just in time to see it fade into a long period of obscurity, where only love and passion kept the game alive.”
He describes the years following as hard for the community, but also as having helped fuel his competitive spirit beyond anything he could have imagined. “Sometimes I wonder if other players in my generation felt that same thirst I felt, that feeling of having watched Melee at its apogee and barely having gotten to enjoy it; of not being ready to let it go just yet.”
In time, his dedication would pay off. As Super Smash Bros. Melee made its resurgence, Eddy would find himself acting as a pioneer for México, often traveling to the US to represent his country, and quickly becoming a fan favorite due to his creative and unique playstyle. He’s stuck with Melee through the thin and the thick, seen it at its highest and lowest points, and he doesn’t plan to abandon it anytime soon.
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Notsuchabadguy: With TBH6 coming up in less than a week, do you feel ready for your trip to Michigan?
Eddy México: Absolutely. I’ve been practicing and trying to implement new strategies and techniques to refine my play, but in the end I think the most important thing is that I manage to keep my cool during sets against top players. If I focus and play my best, I know I can do well.
I recently had to deal with some pretty serious medical issues. I actually just underwent surgery a few days ago and am just coming out of my recovery period. Thankfully, I’m feeling great, but going through something like that has really made me appreciate the amazing chance I’m being given with playing Smash professionally, and it’s made me all the more determined to enjoy it as much as possible. I don’t want to wake up one day to realize that my time has passed and feel like I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to do.
N: What about the tournament are you looking forward to the most?
EM: The Big House has always been a tournament series of the highest prestige and home to some of Melee’s most memorable moments. I’m honestly just really excited to see what happens this year, and to continue partaking in such amazing events, but I’m also really looking forward to facing off against as many high-level players as I can: It doesn’t matter the tournament, as long as there’s a challenging opponent for me to beat, I feel motivated to do my best.
N: What do you think distinguishes you from other players at The Big House? What do you bring to the table that other players don’t?
EM: I feel like the way I play is pretty entertaining to watch -- I mean, I have fun playing it, you wouldn’t see me compete otherwise. A big part of it’s because I play Luigi, who is a pretty interesting character that you don’t see used very often at high-level tournaments like this one, but also because I try to keep the spectators in mind while I play and make the experience as amusing as possible for them.
EM: It’s very important to me. I’ve been competing for a long, long time now, and I’ve seen how much The Big House has grown over the years. Looking back at its history, you can see how Melee has evolved, and get an idea of just how much we still have left to do. To finally get a chance to participate after so many years of watching it with my friends is like a dream come true.
N: Anything you’d like to say to your fans who are reading this interview?
EM: I can’t thank everyone enough for the donations that allowed me this amazing opportunity. I hope you’ll find my play entertaining, and I’ll do my best to win for you all.
Besides that, and this can’t be said enough: If any of you are maybe finding out about Smash through The Big House and are looking to play, look around for your local scene. Maybe it isn’t huge, but chances are you’ll find other people who want to compete and have that same drive and passion as you do.
This community has given me many great friends and so many amazing experiences over the ten years I’ve been a part of it. I know jumping in can seem a bit daunting, maybe scary, but trust me: It’s worth it. You owe it to yourself to try it at least once.
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Smashboards would like to thank Eddy for allowing us some of his time for this interview, especially having just recovered from surgery. You can follow him on Twitter @eddymexico007, and make sure to keep an eye out for him this October the 7th at The Big House 6.
Edited by A10theHero.
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