Melee Stats announced Friday that Chile’s Vicente “Chape” Sánchez will be the next participant in its Free Agent Showcase. Chape will become the second Super Smash Bros. Melee player to take part in the program, following Sweden’s Linus “Pipsqueak” Nordin.
For the second member of the Melee Stats Free Agent Showcase, @Chape_ssb brings the South American style to the big stage!
Check out Chile's best player at four events this July, starting with Double Down in Las Vegas
📸: @IceFireDee pic.twitter.com/s1kzCkcnJ2
— Melee Stats (@MeleeStatsPod) May 6, 2022
The Free Agent Showcase is a program through which the Melee Stats team will fly players out to major tournaments throughout 2022. Melee Stats is focusing on obscure and international players, particularly those who are skilled enough to make it onto the global top 100 ranking, but who might not be able to attend enough events to qualify for the ranking on their own.
Pipsqueak, who is currently in the United States for the Free Agent Showcase, previously told Upcomer that Chape is one of the players he would like to see take part in the program. Like Pipsqueak, Chape will attend four tournaments on four consecutive weekends during his trip.
Melee Stats announced the following tournament line-up for Chape, including a mix of majors and regionals:
- Double Down 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 8-10
- Invincible VI: You Cannot Kill Me in a Way That Matters in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 16
- Minnesota Monthly Melee #6: Mega Minnesota Monthly Melee in St. Paul, Minnesota, from July 23-24
- Smash Factory 9 in Puebla, Mexico, from July 29-31
So glad to be picked up by melee stats ☺️🤩😍
Cant wait to compete :)))https://t.co/XbbrF5Rw9G https://t.co/po9xQHHqci pic.twitter.com/IlU3d2TGwS
— Chape (@ChapeHomero) May 6, 2022
More about Chape and the Free Agent Showcase
Though he has rarely competed outside of South America, Fox main Chape garnered international attention at the 2021 Smash World Tour Melee Championship. There, he earned a 3-0 win over Zaid “Spark” Ali, who was No. 22 in the world on the 2019 MPGR.
Chape is also ranked No. 1 on the 2021 South American Melee power rankings. In addition, he has placed in the top two of all 13 tournaments he has entered so far this year, winning 10 of them.
Though he had previously opted in for Smash Summit 13, Chape dropped out of the voting process after his parents expressed reservations about him missing a week or more of college. Nevertheless, Chape will get another shot at international competition this summer thanks to the Melee Stats Free Agent Showcase.
