Arizonan college students brought the heat in this Smash Bros competition!

Have you ever felt like slamming your head against the keyboard, admitting defeat before your work has already begun? To be honest, this is where I am at right now. The end of the spring semester is upon us and work is piling on, things that used to be fun are daunting and even just taking a nap can cause a state of panic. I’m exhausted, and I know many of you are too. What better way to channel those feelings than procrastinating with a bit of Super Smash Bros? That’s exactly what these colleges are doing in the Collegiate Starleague.

The CSL offers students a chance to unwind with some friendly competition and a change for players to win a $15,000 grand prize. They are currently in the qualifiers portion of the competition and I have to say, it is intense. I’ve played a little Smash Bros in my day, but these gamers are truly talented in the arts of video combat. The reason I am showcasing this particular section of the competition is because CSL came to my school, Arizona State University, and I feel it’s time to share some Sun Devil Pride.

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That’s right y’all ASU isn’t just known for its strides in innovation but also top-notch gamers. Due to the qualifiers being held the day after St. Patrick’s Day, I nestled into my comfy blanket and watched the Twitch feed in both a state of envy and fascination. The first half was hosted by Bo Fistem and XC8PE, the stream was extremely informational as well as comedic. There was a total of 32 teams competing in several categories including Ultimate Singles, Melee Singles, Ultimate Crews and Melee Crews.

The first match of the day was performed by SkilledRoy of Chandler Gilbert Community College, and Salt of ASU. Roy would prove to be a powerful opponent and eventually win the whole category. His quick aerials and amazing swordsmanship were too much for everyone in his path. As a former CGCC student I have to say I loved seeing this win. Next up was the Ultimate Crews and these teams all fought with valor and grace however, team Belle of ASU came up on top, consisting of Skye as Pacman, Okamu as Palutena, Venator as Bowser, and Rocky as Snake. This team all had diverse playing styles but combining their strengths made for some epic battles.

Melee Singles and Crews focused on Smash Bros Melee and it was great to see the younger generation play a game I grew up with. The starting hosts for this segment were Floss and Hyper which both added unique commentary throughout each match. Keo, an ASU student, played as Fox and dominated his matches. Favoring his side B, he emitted patience and precision. Unfortunately, Melee Crews was never played so the world will never know if Crow Bros or Poophouse is the better team.

It is great to see Grand Canyon University, Arizona State, and Chandler Gilbert students come together with a common passion. Sure, everyone wanted to win the grand prize, but it was clear to me that everyone was still enjoying themselves. Even the people simply watching the stream and commenting throughout the matches seemed to be having a blast. Overall, congratulations to the winners and I hope you all go far into this competition. Us Arizonans must stick together and it’s amazing to see Esports bloom for future generations. In the end, I look forward to following this competition to the end and hopefully seeing one of our finalists win. Good luck guys, we are rooting for you!

Brackets and winners can be found here.

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