Smash Bros star Mango joins Cloud 9

With successful teams in both League of Legends and Dota 2, esports organization Cloud 9 Hyper X has officially launched their fighting games division with the signing of Super Smash Bros. superstar and EVO 2013 champion Joseph 'Mang0' Marquez.

“Seeing how serious Cloud 9 is about Smash, I knew this will be a huge step for myself and the rest of the competitive community,” Marquez told onGamers in a new interview. “Cloud 9’s support and direction will help me focus on improving my mains Fox and Falco. With this, I’ll be truly be ready for EVO, CEO, MLG, and other top tournaments.”

"It feels surreal to be part of such a big team. As a Melee player, you never really thought this would be possible but this just shows that smash will continue to grow. Just really thankful and grateful for the opportunity to represent Cloud 9 and get some big wins."

The California-born Marquez did just that by winning this past weekend's World Houston's Official Brawl Organization (WHOBO) MLG qualifier, securing himself a spot in the Championship Bracket at MLG Anaheim.

“Smash Brothers came in very strong at EVO 2013 and we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2014 has in store for the Smash community,” said Jack Etienne, Owner and General Manager of Cloud 9. “Mango’s highly competitive spirit and caliber of play fits perfectly with the rest of Cloud 9. Once we saw his experience and tournament record, there was no question that he was right for the team.”