There's no debate that Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma is one of the best players in the world. His exceptional and innovative Jigglypuff play (though controversial in some aspects due to non-interactive strategies like ledge-camping) has cemented him as one of the best players to ever compete in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
His rise from one of the consistent top five best players to the undisputed second best player in the world took place over the course of 2015 and 2016, culminating in his victory over Adam "Lindgren" Armada, the No. 1 player in the world, at EVO 2016.
But recently, Hungrybox's performances have been in a bit of a downswing. By falling to Joseph "Mang0" Marquez twice at EVO 2017, he is no longer clearly a step above even his most direct rival for the No. 2 spot.
However, that isn't his only recent struggle:
Hungrybox fell to his longtime friend and former teammate Justin "Plup" McGrath, who has long been considered the sixth best player in the world.
Plup has struggled to break past this rank, encountering something of a "fifth place curse," always placing top in the tournament, but always placing below the top competition.
Hungrybox's troubles don't end there, however:
At GOML 2017, Hungrybox placed second to top contender William "Leffen" Hjelte, this time not even taking a set. Though Leffen has been known to be able to defeat Hungrybox, this victory is another second place finish for Hungrybox in which he lost multiple sets to a "non-god" player.
Is this the start of a decline in Hungrybox's dominance? Are the ranks shifting at the top of the game? These answers still remain to be seen, but this is certainly an interesting development in the Melee scene.
