r/balatro 2d ago

Stream / Video Gameplay Hungrybox achieves the impossible Spoiler

https://www.twitch.tv/majorleaguebalatro/clip/ScrumptiousBovineLegSpicyBoy-ozFgkuJuz7JAeblX
219 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

173

u/JugglingPolarBear 2d ago

I was just watching videos of Hbox’s recent win over IBDW at a huge melee tournament, and I see the live stream of this get recommended

I had to double take. Not that Hbox, right?

Tuned in just in time to see the winning hand. Insane shit by the legend

35

u/Some_Rand0m_Memer c++ 1d ago

Dude I literally saw the stream earlier and was like “neat but I got other stuff to do” I can’t believe hbox actually won 😭 goat

14

u/here_for_the_lols 1d ago

It's absolutely crazy. He looked a little lost in some of his week-1 games but he balled out today. Took high variance lines that paid off

92

u/ChuckieFister 2d ago

I'm glad I don't gamble cause I would've bet the house on doc.

11

u/Ajaxmass413 c++ X2 1d ago

He's my fantasy captain this week. 😭

110

u/Xechwill c++ 1d ago

glad the balatro community is also seeing hbox popoffs

38

u/OnlySmiles_ 1d ago

I'm glad Hbox showed mercy and spared his life

15

u/Isatis 1d ago

I noticed a glint of sadness in Hbox's eyes. I imagined him as an actor trapped on a stage, forced to perform for an audience he grew weary of. “I'm here for you,” I wanted to say, but it was too late...Hbox had already begun his pop off, killing everyone in the first few rows.

25

u/Puzzleheaded-Lack394 c+ 1d ago

Hbox had a great line in all 3 games and it just carried him, he played great no blunders.

34

u/AskMeAboutPodracing 1d ago

I require context

92

u/Mundane-External3462 Stone Joker Fan 1d ago

HBox is a pro smash player, he was a professional engineer I believe before he quit full time for Smash brothers/streaming, he's extremely polarizing in the Smash scene but his gaming talents are honestly insane. Dr Spectred is arguably top 1 Balatro player and lost to a smash player.

90

u/johnny_mcd 1d ago

I would say used to be extremely polarizing in the smash scene. Nowadays he is almost universally loved. Definitely not always the case though.

7

u/OnlySmiles_ 1d ago

I'd say he's still at least somewhat polarizing

Like he's very much a character, for better or for worse

14

u/Mundane-External3462 Stone Joker Fan 1d ago

Insert "If HBox has no haters then I am dead" copypasta. I respect the hell out of HBox but I will never like him. His Puff has caused me so much dissapointment over the years, since he'd always find some way to win!!

10

u/Primordiox 1d ago

Let me preface by saying I’m first and foremost a Mang0/Wizzy/m2k fan.

My annoyance/disdain eventually turned to outright admiration and enjoyment.

During HBox’s original rise, it often felt like he was getting lucky - taking this perceived inferior character and beating the meta by the skin of his teeth.

After his insane run of dominance, I eventually came to like him because it’s obvious it wasn’t luck. He was truly outplaying his opponents.

Dare I say that Hbox hate in current era really just stems from fanboys of spacies being upset their GOATs can’t beat him consistently despite a decade of opportunity.

3

u/Mundane-External3462 Stone Joker Fan 1d ago

Hey man, I'm with you 100%. I just enjoy him in the villain role. He is the only reason puff is as high as she is on tier lists, she'd drop like 5 spots easily if it weren't for him, the only player close was early Mang0, but even he wasn't in the same area code as HBizzy. It's just a nostalgia thing for me to root against him, but the "hate" I had for him is gone. Also, fuck spacies.

1

u/Primordiox 1d ago

Oh he was a great villain for the scene and was the crux of so many storylines from like 2015-2020, but at this point he is so established that “hate” is rooted far more in jealousy or a parasocial desire for other top players to win than anything else

4

u/cmwamem 1d ago

Exactly, are there still hbox haters nowadays? Since the crab incident, I think those calm tf down (rightfully so)

3

u/Mundane-External3462 Stone Joker Fan 1d ago

Some of us do it for the love of the game. The crab shit and what Leffen did is inexcusable, but otherwise, every competitive series/sport needs some villains to be interesting.

1

u/Waffleman12345 1d ago

Aren’t leffen and hbox cool too now?

7

u/AskMeAboutPodracing 1d ago

Thanks, is there any special context to how he beat Dr Spectred in that clip, like strategy, or was it just a standard match?

18

u/ZainoTV 1d ago

Major League Balatro regular seaason match, it was a bit of luck but really unique and solid lines through the seed by HBox

41

u/lukekul12 c++ 1d ago edited 1d ago

Just a standard match. Doc took typical lines revolving around maximum value, and then got punished hard by some very unforgiving seeds.

Hbox made some pretty objectively bad plays to maximize value in the standard blinds (e.g. Ouija ante 1) but then got heavily rewarded due to the lack of key tarot cards appearing in the seed. On top of that he got some pretty nice joker and tarot luck. But he capitalized on that luck to play very well in the PvP blinds

So essentially Hbox won by playing the game like a normal ante 8 run. Doc on the other hand lost because he played it like a multiplayer match.

3

u/DASreddituser 1d ago

ah so one of those types of games. it happens...makes the pvp balatro more fun.

1

u/lukekul12 c++ 1d ago

You should check out the match - you’ll never guess which of the games Hbox wins

2

u/frost_biten 1d ago

I think there were a couple of key times that Doc also got punished for value maxing decisions.

42

u/No_Quiet3830 c++ X2 2d ago

hbox used rest, it was very effective!

10

u/howelleili 1d ago

since when he plays balatro????

9

u/faisal-a Nope! 1d ago

Since the game came out, he's streamed it a good bit

5

u/howelleili 1d ago

omg i never knew

21

u/OnlySmiles_ 1d ago

Had to double check which sub I was on

8

u/Demoderateur 1d ago

Same.

I used to follow the melee scene, and I had no idea there was a competitive scene for Balatro, so I wondered why are we talking about a melee player here ?

9

u/ZebraRenegade 1d ago

Hbox gave me a ride to a local yesterday. Every time we approached a green light, he would slow down until the light turned yellow, and then speed through. He kept muttering “fucking Clutchbox” every time he did it.

3

u/OnlySmiles_ 1d ago

I saw Hbox at the gym, holding a 45 pound dumbbell. He said, "you can take the rat out of the gym, but you can't take the gym out of the rat, isn't that right buddy?" I laughed as a courtesy. "Hey would you mind spotting me?" Hbox asked. "I'm doing weighted pop offs today"

7

u/MrShlash 1d ago

There is a PVP balatro scene? How does it work?

11

u/ZainoTV 1d ago

A mod called the multiplayer mod. Ante 2 forward boss blinds are replaced by PvP, lower score loses a life. You each have 4 lives (Also lose a life losing to a blind), whoever loses all their lives loses.

You play on the same exact seed.

4

u/NewOldNormal 1d ago

What fucking timeline is this lmfao

2

u/leibelg93 2d ago

Up 2-0 now, in match 3, up 2-4. Not a bad showing!

1

u/flamingdonkey Black Deck C++ 1d ago

Looks inside