Zain "Zain" Naghmi arguably improved the most out of any player in 2017, leaping from 66th to 22nd place on the 2017 SSBMRank. Along with taking incredible victories such as Leffen, Plup, and SFAT in his fairly short competitive career, Zain has an incredibly technical playstyle with Marth, making him a fan favorite. We got the chance to speak with Zain about his improvement and history with Melee, and also some more general subjects.

What first inspired/motivated you to get into competitive Melee?

Zain: A lot of people think that I started playing Melee because of the documentary, but that’s not exactly true. I saw the documentary after I had entered the competitive scene. My friend in my senior year of high school told me that there was a competitive scene for Melee, and told me I should go to this bar tourney in Arlington, VA. From the moment that I went to this tournament, I couldn’t stop playing Melee.

What made you choose Marth?

Zain: When I played Melee when I was a kid, I used to play Marth. I figured I might as well stick with him when I entered the competitive scene.

Your Marth is probably one of the most unique and innovative breed of the character. What made you want to integrate your technical style into a typically less technical character?

Zain: A lot of the stuff that I do with Marth is a product of messing around in friendlies. I like to try stuff that I don’t see in top-level Marth videos and test if they’re applicable in tournament. Most of the time, the things I try don’t have any application, but there are a few things that have stuck with my play.

What do you personally like about MD/VA, and how do you think it stacks up against the other strong regions in the world?

Zain: MDVA has one of the strongest local scenes in the world. What separates us from other regions is that we have a bunch of players that are on the fringe of being on our power ranking. Also, for some reason, we have the strongest players in the world, including Rishi, lloD, June, Chillin and myself. We also have a slew of amazing Foxes, including Jerry, Milkman and Redd. With all of these players, I think that we stack up pretty nicely against a lot of strong regions.

You made an extremely impressive jump from #66 to #22 in the world last year. What did you change in your training that you think helped you achieve this feat?

Zain: Most of the changes I made in my training had to do with mentality. I came to realize that I had all of the skills to be a top-level player. I also changed my mindset so that I wouldn’t dread playing anyone in bracket. This confidence allowed me to use all of the skills that I had garnered to the best of my ability.

What do you think is the main difference in skill that separates the lower top 100 ranked players from the top 25?

Zain: The main differentiator is the composure to perform at your best. It’s likely that everyone in the top 100 has a strong punish. However, to be able to utilize that punish game consistently is what allows a player to really ascend.

Most people usually hit a ceiling when trying to get better in Melee. If you did, when was the moment you broke through it?

Zain: I don’t feel like I’ve hit a ceiling playing Melee. I think the reason why is that I never get bored playing. Of course I get frustrated and disappointed with my losses. But beyond everything else, I’ll keep playing Melee with passion. I think that’s really the key. As long as you let your passion for the game override your disappointment and frustration, you’ll be able to improve infinitely.

Who is the hardest player to play against in tournament for you, and alternatively, what top player do you not find so difficult to play in bracket?

Zain: My most difficult opponent is most likely Junebug. He’s insanely good at the Marth matchup and has a positive record over me. I’m glad that he’s consistently able to challenge me though. I feel that each time that we play we both improve tremendously. As for a top player that I don’t find difficult to play… I’d say pretty much any spacie player.

Do you think that you have a rival in the Smash community? This could be an old rivalry that is not as prevalent now, or one that recently formed.

Zain: I wouldn’t say I have a rival, although I did want to beat Chu really badly after he denied my money match for Smash Summit campaigning. This is one of the only times that I’ve BM’d someone in bracket.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

Zain: Shoutouts to 800j!

We'd like to thank Zain for taking the time for the interview, and wish him the best in the rest of 2018!

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