FlyQuest announced today that they have expanded their Super Smash Bros. Melee roster by signing fast-rising Sheik main Jake “Jmook” DiRado. This is their second Melee acquisition, as the organization previously branched into the Melee scene by signing John “KoDoRiN” Ko in December.
A historical rise to the top of Melee. Now on a mission to #ShowcaseGreatness & to cement himself as one of the greats.@jakedirado joins the battle as our newest Super Smash Bros. Melee competitor! pic.twitter.com/fR1ZdxnuZz
— FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) June 10, 2022
FlyQuest first expressed their interest in signing Jmook through a tweet after his standout performance at Smash Summit 13 in May. Jmook replied that he would only talk to them if Christian “Salt” Rennie could come with him. However, as of writing, Salt has yet to join the organization.
Just after Summit 13, Jmook announced that he had quit his job as a Starbucks barista in order to pursue a full-time career in esports; less than a month later, he’s set to make his debut under a professional esports team’s banner at Battle of BC 4 this weekend.
Beyond grateful for this experience.
This won't be my last Summit. I recently quit my job to pursue this fulltime and I truly believe that it'll be the best decision I'll ever make.
S/O's to my friends and family for the encouragement❤️
— FLY | Jmook (@jakedirado) May 16, 2022
More about the newest FlyQuest player, Jmook
DiRado has played Melee competitively since 2016; however, up until this year, he has had little experience at majors. Nevertheless, players who have attended tournaments in New York have long recognized him as a sort of “hidden boss.” This includes visiting players like Spain’s Álvaro “Trif” García Moral, who barely defeated Jmook 3-2 at Omega III back in 2019.
Jmook is extra-good
— TRIF 💃 | SSP 💛 | 69% 🖤 (@TrifSmash) September 8, 2019
Jmook first rose to prominence on the national scale through online tournaments in early 2021. He placed in the top six of both Hax’s Nightclub (Season 2 Episode 1) and the Four Loko Fight Night, beating players like Avery “Ginger” Wilson, Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby, Sasha “Magi” Sullivan, Matt “Polish” Warshaw and Dawud “Aklo” Rahman in the process. After a several-month break from major competition, he beat Kyle “Kalamazhu” Zhu, Jason “Gahtzu” Diel and Josh “Sora” Lyras, finishing 13th place at the Smash World Tour Championships in December.
Since the beginning of this year, Jmook’s results have skyrocketed. He placed second at Genesis 8 and fourth at Smash Summit 13. In process, he defeated the likes of Zain “Zain” Naghmi, Cody “iBDW” Schwab, Justin “Plup” McGrath, William “Leffen” Hjelte, Arjun “lloD” Malhotra, n0ne and KoDoRiN.
As it stands, Jmook is widely considered a top five player in the world. Going into Battle of BC this weekend, he aims to further cement his status as one of the best Melee players; and now, he gets to do it with the support of FlyQuest.
