Let’s break it down.

Two Players, One Title, Zero Separation

In 2023, two titans of Melee stood above the rest: Zain and Cody Schwab. Both had incredible seasons, crushing tournaments, dominating brackets, and building cases to be crowned number one.

But here’s the twist, they were completely tied.
Not figuratively. Not emotionally. Statistically tied in every possible way.

• Super Major wins: 4 each
• Head-to-head record: 6 to 6
• Even individual games won: 25 to 25

At this point, the Melee community had no clue how to break the tie. The usual year-end ranking system just didn’t work. It was like trying to split a cookie perfectly between two kids who both deserve it but will fight you over crumbs.

The Ultimate Solution, One Final Match

So what did they do?

Simple. They said, “Let’s settle it. One final match. Winner takes the title.”

It wasn’t a grand finals reset. It wasn’t a bracket run. It was a standalone set played specifically to crown the king of 2023. The entire Melee community agreed. This was it. This was the decider. One match to rule them all.

The stakes? Immortality. Okay, maybe not that dramatic. But pretty close.

Why This Was Historic

Competitive Melee has had rivalries before, but never this clean, never this balanced. It’s already hard enough to have two players dominate in the same year, let alone match each other exactly across majors, sets, and games.

This wasn’t just a rivalry, it was mathematical perfection. You couldn’t script a more evenly matched showdown if you tried.

And the best part? The players themselves agreed to the final match, knowing what was on the line, and respecting each other enough to go all in.

Final Stock

The Zain vs Cody match wasn’t just the end of a season, it was the epic conclusion of one of the most evenly matched rivalries in Melee history. Two giants, one set, total mutual respect, and no more “what ifs.”

This is the kind of moment that makes competitive Smash legendary.
Not because of the characters.
Not because of the combos.
Because of the story.