mrekk: The Greatest osu! Player of All Time

Storyline (Brandon “Emmerech/Mrekk” Fong)

Early life & first exposure (age ~4+)

• Brandon Fong was born July 13, 2006, in Melbourne, Australia.
• He was introduced to gaming by his older brother, with early influences including:
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Super Hexagon

How he started osu!

• He watched his brother play osu! and wanted to join.
• Since he didn’t have a PC initially, he played osu!Stream on an iPad (4th gen).
• He later gained permission to use his father’s laptop.

Account & early obsession

• His account was created Dec 13, 2015 (original username: “Elite Brandon 365”).
• He became deeply invested in osu!, grinding regularly after school.

Rapid skill growth + focus on strengths

• Early inspiration: Cookiezi, including debates about who was “better” among top players.
• An early aptitude: jump-heavy aim maps.

A major setback (laptop break)

• In early April 2018, after repeated frustration on the same map, he damaged his laptop screen by throwing a domino.
• He hid the laptop and paused his osu! progress for about a year.
• He later replaced the laptop and returned.

Explosion onto the scene (2019)

• He learned PP (performance points) and achieved a major early milestone:
  • FC Crack Tracks with Hidden for roughly ~400 PP
• He began grinding to improve both:
  • Aim
  • Tapping
• He used approaches ranging from “farm” style routes to later higher-star attempts with difficult passing practice.

Breakthrough to top ranks & fallout (2020–2021)

• Rank progression (as described):
  • Top 1,000 (noted around July 4, 2018-ish in the text)
  • Top 100 (October)
  • Top 50 (Dec 15)
• As his rise drew attention, cheating accusations appeared.
• His responses included:
  • More recorded live plays
  • Twitch streaming
  • Later in-person events

Tournament development

• Initially he didn’t care much about tournaments.
• After entering early events (AUS/NZ Winter), he placed 3rd, earning respect for being more than “just jump maps.”
• He joined Team Australia (rookie for OSU World Cup) and consistently contributed.

Peak dominance (2021–2024)

• 2021: He worked to become more well-rounded:
  • Faster tapping
  • 250–270 BPM rhythm consistency
  • Better AR 10–11 reading
• Apr 8, 2021: He dethroned WhiteCat to become #1 after WhiteCat’s long reign.
• Oct 2022: Adoption of a Wooting keyboard with rapid trigger:
  • Improved speed and stamina
  • Enabled major record-style performances
• 2022–2023:
  • Continued setting and retaking top PP records
  • Won large events, including Roundt
• 2024:
  • Faced new rivals (referred to as the “Kohibed” figure”)
  • Lost #1 on July 21, 2024, then reclaimed it shortly after

Record-breaking PP era (late 2024–2025)

• He reached 1600 PP via:
  • Hidden Double Time 98.2% FC on “Drummers Save Me” (Aug 29, 2024)
• Less than a day later:
  • 99.2% Hidden Double Time FC on “Cersant Save Me”
  • Pushed toward roughly ~1,760 PP and new PP records
• PP ecosystem changes:
  • Later PP formula updates (e.g., combo scaling removal) made certain high-star jump styles easier to profit from
• Mar 5, 2025:
  • His PP total exceeded what the game’s signed 16-bit display could show (PP beyond 32,767)
  • OSU creator Peppy issued a special, one-of-a-kind user title to celebrate the “limit break”

Overall theme: progression from jump-heavy aim into broader reading, tapping speed, stamina, and modifier flexibility—paired with transparent responses to scrutiny and a mindset of self-competition.

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Gameplay highlights & key strategies/tips mentioned

Signature early strength

• Jump-heavy aim (fast learning + strong natural aptitude)

Training grind approach

• Massive daily practice sessions (often multiple hours after school, plus long repetition sessions).
• Building mastery through high-star “passing” practice:
  • Repeatedly attempting difficult maps to learn patterns and consistency.
• Progression included:
  • Farmable FC patterns for PP efficiency
  • Complex bursts/streams to develop full capability

Mod habits

• Heavy use of Hidden early on (even noted as initially making reading difficult until he adjusted).
• Practiced combinations such as:
  • Hidden + Hard Rock + Double Time (“three-mod” variants)
  • Multi-mod strategies across different map types

Improving speed & tapping

• In 2021, he shifted focus toward:
  • Faster tapping maps
  • Rhythm consistency around ~250–270 BPM
• He emphasized reading comfort with intense patterns, including reacting to higher approach rates (AR maxing around 11).

Flow aim & stamina

• Expanded into “flow aim” maps with emphasis on:
  • Aim control
  • Stamina
  • Coordinated tapping speed

Equipment/tech breakthrough

• Wooting keyboard + rapid trigger (Oct 2022):
  • Required adapting finger technique
  • Enabled higher speed/stamina and major record performances

Handling major pressure

• When doubted for cheating, he responded with:
  • Transparent streaming/recording
  • Presence at land events

Mindset—longevity through self-competition

• When isolated at the top, he “competes against himself”:
  • Chasing personal-score targets rather than relying on external rivals

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Notable milestones (as described)

• First major PP milestone:
  • FC Crack Tracks with Hidden (~400 PP)
• Rank climb:
  • Broke into top 1,000, then top 100, then top 50
• #1 progression:
  • Became #2 by July 27, 2020 (large gap to #1)
  • Became #1 by Apr 8, 2021 after dethroning WhiteCat
• Awards/recognition:
  • Voted Player of the Year for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 (with ongoing recognition into 2025 mentioned)
• Tournament highlights:
  • OSU World Cup: Team Australia results mentioned (bronze referenced for 2023)
  • Roundt 2: champion (defeated Malachevski after a bracket reset sequence)
• PP record era:
  • Multiple top PP records through 2021–2024
  • Culminating in 1600+ PP and around 1,760 PP plays in late 2024
• “Limit break”:
  • Mar 5, 2025: PP exceeded the signed 16-bit display
  • Peppy issued a custom title

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Featured gamers/sources (mentioned at the end)

Players and creators

• Cookiezi (inspired mrekk; discussed as a top player)
• WhiteCat (long-time #1 dethroned; rivalry context)
• Utami (mentioned in Round Table grand finals)
• Malachevski (Roundt 2 opponent)
• Aolibed (credited with driving PP records in a mid-October 2025 timeframe)
• Peppy (OSU creator; awarded the unique title)

Platforms and references

• Reddit (referenced as a source of cheating accusations)
• Twitch and YouTube (used for streams/videos addressing accusations)

Teams/regions (not individuals)

• Team Australia
• Chile
• Poland
• Canada
• South Korea
• United States