The rollercoaster of Super Smash Bros. contracts is now extending to Melee with the current No. 1 player in the world, Zain Naghmi, leaving Golden Guardians today after three years with the organization.
While he hasn’t claimed a title in 2023 yet, Zain has essentially been among the biggest names in Melee since 2018.
After departing Panda Global in November 2019 amidst some of his best play, Zain went sponsorless into several tournaments, including a top finish on Smash’s biggest stage at GENESIS 7. And with that win under his belt, Golden Guardians signed him as the org’s first Smash player—and would watch him go on to win a number of other Major events and, despite the odd circumstances the scene faced during that time, finally be named the top-ranked player on the 2022 SSBMRank.
That isn’t all Zain brought to Golden Guardians, though. With a top player under its belt, the org expanded its content team to include more focus on Smash and eventually signed a number of other familiar faces within the Melee community in Toph, PPMD, and n0ne.
Over the span of a year, Golden Guardians went from a newcomer in Smash to one of the scene’s biggest supporters. From sponsoring players and talent to hosting events, the community welcomed the organization with open arms and received plenty of support in return.
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For Zain, this move is likely one that comes from another door opening with new opportunities that the top player plans to follow and make the most of. He notes that the decision to leave is “bittersweet,” saying there are big things to come soon and he is excited about his future plans within Melee.
And just because Zain is leaving does not mean Golden Guardians is going to pull out of the Smash scene.
“The three years I’ve spent with GG have been some of the most fulfilling of my life, especially within Melee,” Zain said. “I hope everyone continues to support the work that they do because I know that they will be sticking around in Melee, which is awesome. I’m really sad to be going, but I know you guys will continue to kill it.”
You can expect most of Golden Guardians’ current Melee content to remain the same, just without Zain appearing as a main focus.
Meanwhile, now fans can speculate about where Melee’s top player will land next as yet another big name exits their Smash home.
This follows both MkLeo and Tweek leaving T1 and TSM respectively to join forces with Maister on Luminosity’s Ulitmate roster. Who knows, maybe Zain is looking to form his own Melee super team with someone else at another org.
