Well, free agency didn’t last long for one of Super Smash Bros. Melee’s most eligible bachelors as Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) swept Cody “iBDW” Schwab off his feet and put him in one of their jerseys just in time for Genesis 9.
The reveal happened live on the event’s main stage as Cody and his doubles teammate Jmook finished warming up—after a classic 20-minute delay for technical issues. This is Cody’s first new team since joining Panda in May 2020 and leaving the organization in December amidst the Smash World Tour and Panda Cup drama that launched an exodus of players, talent, and employees from the org.
Cody is one of the current top five Melee players in the world, finishing in the top six of basically every Major he attends, and winning several like Smash Summit 13 and Double Down 2022. His results speak for themselves and he instantly became the number one name on the market when he announced his free agency to close out the year.
“Thrilled to announce that I’ve joined CLG,” Cody said. “Made me feel like they really really wanted to have me on board and made the decision as easy as possible for me. Even happier this was done before genesis so I know where I can call home for the foreseeable future. Can’t wait.”
Related: CLG isn’t just looking out for its fighting game players, it’s here for the entire community
CLG has been a steady supporter of Smash, and got deeply involved in the wider fighting game community (FGC) in 2022; however, that long-time commitment to Melee was actually questioned less than a week ago when the org parted ways with perennial top 20 player SFAT, who had been with the team for more than seven years.
Alongside PewPewU, SFAT was a staple of CLG and the duo were not only both respected top players, but also became one of the best doubles teams of all time with their PewFat combination. PPU is still with the team, though he transitioned from competing to working as an operations and marketing coordinator back in March 2021.
Signing Cody after a move like that makes it feel like CLG is ready for a fresh start in Melee while still supporting the scene as much as they have been since 2015. And, it also provides a fresh start for Cody, who enters 2023 with CLG giving him stability and prepares to sunset his iBDW tag at the end of Genesis.
