SANTA ANA, CA – THE Smash 4 rivalry has reached new heights. Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios and Elliot “Ally” Bastien Carroza-Oyarce have always been rivals, dating back to the days of Brawl, but now all that will culminate into one massive event this weekend: 2GGC’s Civil War.

The creation of this tournament is that of legend. Everyone’s favorite Smash player, Larry Lurr, presented the idea to the good people of 2GG and thus the Civil War was birthed into this world, a tournament centered around the rivalry of the best. Each team is comprised of nearly every player in the PGR top 50. A small proposal from Larry Lurr has blossomed into a super major with a $30,000 pot bonus and is now looked at as one of the premier events of 2017.

It’s known how dominate ZeRo’s run in Smash 4 has been since the game’s release. The few blemishes on his record led to Ally taking the spotlight, including his win at one of the most prestigious events in Smash at Evo 2016.

Thus, jealously and envy turned to action and now teams have formed around the respected players.

#TeamAlly or #TeamZeRo?

It’s a choice every player had to make before entering. Do players stick it out with the world’s best in ZeRo? Or take a chance with the underdog who can pull off the upset?

This fight could decide the fate of humanity…

Let’s look at the teams:

Team ZeRo:

It’s no secret: Team ZeRo is absolutely stacked to the brim with talent. Of the top 10 ranked players in the world, Zero’s team consists of six of them, including ZeRo himself who is a untethered beast. So, right off the bat, it’s going to be an uphill climb for team Ally.

The true weakness of team ZeRo is the second team. The roster does have strong players, but there’s no distinct advantage. The late addition of Kirihara, winner of Frame Perfect Series 2, will give the second team a definite boost with his Rosalina play. The strength in the second team lies at the top of the roster: Gavin “Tweek” Dempsey, Saleem “Salem” Akiel Young, and Chris “WaDi” Boston all have had tremendous success and could be the driving force behind a team ZeRo win on the second team.

Additionally, The one-two-three of ZeRo, Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada, and Leonardo “MKLeo” Lopez Perez is arguably unbeatable. It’s tough seeing how Team Ally matches up against these three. It will come down to team decisions, on both sides, but if Ally allows one of those three to get hot, it will be an issue. Can anyone slow down ZeRo? Ally’s team has four players who have taken sets off ZeRo in the past (five including Kirihara).

Outside of the big three, Ally will have to deal with James “VoiD” Makekau-Tyson, Rei “Komorikiri” Furukawa and Jason “ANTi” Bates, who’re all serious tournaments threats with a variety of characters. The key is to take advantage of the less notable players. Freddie “FOW” Omar Williams is the best Ness in the world but he can be directly countered and Alberto “Trela” Miliziano hasn’t been active so his performance is up in the air.

Undoubtedly, Team ZeRo is the favorite, but Ally has the tools to make the upset happen.

Team Ally

Ally has a tough but doable task in front of him. The use of his top players with their more unorthodox play styles will be essential to victory. Takuto “Kameme” Ono is one player who will need to go the distance. His Mega Man can be a real problem for Team ZeRo as he’s taken sets off four of them (ZeRo, Kmorikiri, VoiD, and MKLeo). Couple that with Yuto “Abadango” Kawamura’s MewTwo and it coule be a problem.

Presumably, it seems as if Ally will have to go head-to-head with ZeRo to try his neutralize him. Ally has the most current set wins over ZeRo (five) and has a great way of dealing with ZeRo’s control game. The onus is most likely on him to beat the world’s most dominate player. The rest is manageable if they can get over that hurdle.

If Julian “Zinoto” Carrington and Marcus “Pink Fresh” Wilson can tap into that potential that we saw at events like CEO and 2GGT: KTAR Saga it could be a different story. Ally will have to make the right decisions with these two along with Tyler “Marss” Martins and Nicholas “Ned” Dovel, who have all taken sets off players on the other team.

Anyways, let’s not forget about the staying power of Ramin “Mr. R” Delshad and Dabuz who can be an annoyance to the top players on Team ZeRo. Both have also taken sets off ZeRo, so if Ally chooses to try and gain an advantage by putting himself up against anyone but ZeRo he’ll have a backup plan.

In terms of the second team, it looks to be another uphill battle with most members ranking below their opponents. Luckily, Captain Zack has had a renaissance with Bayonetta recently and has made himself a serious threat. He will be the headliner and the player to watch out for. If players like Eric “ESAM” Lew and Rich Brown play well it could be a different story for Team Ally.