By Jamie “JAMJAR” Jacobs, Josh “BarkSanchez” Brody, and Jason”Nardwell” Mani

Every Tuesday we will be posting reviews of the past week in Smash 64. This week we analyze the results of the Brotherly Love Classic monthly, travel to the home of Revan to expose a rapidly expanding scene, spread the word of the announcement of a regional tournament in Indiana, and provide brief results for some other events in our scene.

Brotherly Love Classics IV

The fourth edition of the Brotherly Love Classics gave us a preview of many of the competitors we will be seeing at Pound 2016. This smaller tournament saw some of the local Pennsylvania players attempting to defend their turf from a traveling hoard of Baltimoreans

The squad of Baltimore players made the journey to the suburbs of Philadelphia this week to take part in a monthly. This event served as a warm-up for next weekend’s massive tournament: Pound 2016. The competitors looking to take advantage of this weekend to warm up for Pound were BarkSanchez, Shears, Darkhorse, Q!, and iCactusdog. These and other competitors put their talents on display in a clash just north of Philadelphia.

An early shocking result was seen when Q! was upset by Moosh. Not only was it an uspet, this local Donkey Kong main managed to sweep the Captain Falcon 2-0. BarkSanchez gave us an interesting set in Winners Quarterfinals. He was facing off against the upstart, Moosh. Despite it being a 2-0 sweep, both games kept us on the edge of our seats. The first game was a rarely seen Donkey Kong ditto. It was too close for comfort, forcing Bark to go with his Pikachu in the second game. Moosh played this game close as well, though Bark won in the end. The other sets of this round saw local Pikachu main Finio, Xanadu TO Shears, and a handicapped Darkhorse advance. Darkhorse would be playing this tournament with his arm in a sling.

Winners Semifinals pitted BarkSanchez against Finio. Here we saw Bark’s mastery of the Pikachu ditto. He earned a clean 3-0 sweep in this set, never appearing to be under any distress. The other half of the bracket provided us with a much more interesting set. Shears and Darkhorse played another of their classically close matches. These two have gone back and forth at the weekly Xanadu events, showing very even levels of proficiency. Game 1 saw Darkhorse win a close game with his Captain Falcon. Shears overcame this early deficit, winning tightly in Games 2 and 3 against that same character. Darkhorse decided to make a character change for Game 4, breaking out his Jigglypuff. Unfortunately for him, the character change was not enough to overcome Shears’s momentum, and the Balloon Pokémon popped under the pressure.

Winners Finals saw BarkSanchez pitted against Shears. These two have a long history against each other, frequently facing off at Xanadu with Bark being the more frequent victor. This set would be more of the same. Shears managed to keep it close early on, losing an intense first match in which he held the lead but lost it on a last stock situation. However, he managed to win a particularly close Game 2, which ended up going down to last hit. The last two games of the set were different stories, as Bark managed to pull away and win more convincingly, with a two stock followed by a JV3.

In the losers side of the bracket, Q! had managed to make a nice run after losing in the very first round of the tournament. He was facing off with local top player Finio in Losers Quarterfinals. This set would prove to be a close battle, as these two played Captain Falcon dittos. Q! eked out a close victory 2-1 in a set that displayed the variance of the matchup. On the other side, Darkhorse played an entertaining Donkey Kong ditto set against Moosh. The hobbled man from Baltimore showed his knowledge of the matchup, as he won with a convincing 2-0 sweep. These two victors next faced off in Losers Semifinals. This set was another exhilarating Captain Falcon ditto. Darkhorse won a very close Game 1, bringing it back after an early deficit and finishing it with a stylish Falcon Punch. Q! displayed his fighting spirit by winning an easy three stock in Game 2. Darkhorse once again won a very close match in Game 3, as it came down to last stock, though Q! answered with his own victory in Game 4. The deciding fifth game was extremely intense, as it mirrored the set with its back and forth nature. Falcon Punches were given back and forth, ending with Q! pulling off a clutch last hit victory.

The magical losers run of Q! would next be tested by Shears in Losers Finals. This set ended the tournament life of the man from Pennsylvania. Shears overcame what can be a very tricky matchup against Captain Falcon, winning with a clean 3-0 sweep. Shears displayed great edgeguarding capabilities here, showing the lessons he has learned from his frequent matchups against Darkhorse. Grand Finals was a rematch between the two favorites from Baltimore. Shears took the advantage early, winning the first game on a tense last stock situation. He looked to take a massive step towards resetting the bracket in Game 2, as he had Bark out over the edge in another last stock clash. Unfortunately, Shears missed an input and fell to his death, leading to a tied set. Bark once again fought from behind in Game 3, where we saw Shears SD twice. Showing clear signs of anger and frustration, Shears decided to switch to his pocket Luigi in the final game. Despite being hit by a handful of Luigi’s strong Super Jump Punches, Bark proved why Luigi is known as the inferior of the Mario Bros. The Great Josh Brody earned his victory 3-1 over Shears and was crowned champion.

This event gave us a lot to think about in regards to the upcoming major: Pound 2016. Five competitors will be making the trip to Virginia to compete in what should be a great tournament. The results of this weekend have surely given Bark, Shears and Q! positive vibes, as they each performed well. Bark managed to cleanly win the tournament, giving him momentum into what he hopes will be a more positive major experience than his previous entries. Shears managed a win over his close competition in Darkhorse and played admirably against Bark despite some suicides. If he manages to clean up those blunders, Shears could surely use what he has learned to turn some heads at Pound. Q! may have had the most positive experience. He showed grit and determination in making a long run through losers bracket, even pulling off a big upset over Darkhorse. This tournament experience could prove valuable as he hopes to prove his worth next weekend.

The Brother Love Classic IV was streamed by Bros_Calamity on Twitch. Videos for this event are being hosted in this playlist by Bros. Calamity on YouTube.

Small Scene Spotlight: Ottawa

This week we travel to the north once again, as we visit a scene which hosts one of the best players in our community. The Ottawa, Canada scene was formed by four different members who each brought something to the table. Thomas “Revan” Dykes, Chris “Sextc” Canas, Jacob “h2o” Lemelin-Carrier, and Jeff “Broly” Shepherd worked together in February 2015 to make this dream a reality. However, their internally official anniversary is March 22nd, as that is when they started their Facebook group. This Facebook group was key to the growth of this scene, hence its importance to these members.

These founding fathers began a Facebook group called SSB64 Ottawa/Gatineau to serve as a hub for activity and outreach in the scene. This little group began as a small collection of players, but has slowly risen to something truly special. Currently, there are around twenty five active players in the scene, a number that is sure to grow in the coming months. This group of intrepid Canadians holds multiple events per week, typically one friendly session at a member’s house and a weekly tournament at the University of Ottawa.

Sextc and Janco are two of the top players in this group. These two competitors are extremely versatile, often playing the matchup rather than their best character. Ottawa also has some up and coming players who should not be taken lightly. This roster of Hotspank, Tamothy, H2O, Kapitol, Shake, Slayer, Cwic-Beam, Nikademiks, Zergos and Broly are sure to put up a fight against any other scene. However, the clear best player in Ottawa is Revan. This Kirby main has made quite a name for himself in the greater 64 scene. He has traveled around Canada and the USA playing at majors to prove his worth. His contemporaries in Ottawa describe him as wise and a force to be reckoned with. Revan does this beyond being a fierce competitor, Revan is a teacher. He is always willing to share his knowledge of the game. If you want some truly great tips from him, bribe this hungry Kirby main with his favorite food: onion rings!

The future of this scene looks to be very bright, as many of its members are looking forward to making their national debut at Get On My Level 2016. Broly mentions that Ottawa is also host to a series of Smash tournaments that draw outsiders. The ECHO series is organized by Revan, and provides an opportunity for this small scene to prove its worth. Look for a future ECHO event to be held in the summer.

To support these dedicated Ottawans, tune in to SSB64Ottawa on Twitch. They do not always stream their events, so make sure to follow them to get notifications when they do go live. Videos of their events are hosted on ssb64ottawa on YouTube.

News

Get Ready to Pound

Pound 2016 is just a matter of days away, and many of North America’s top players are itching to Smash. With SuPeRbOoMfAn, Baltimore, and potentially other out-of-state players visiting The Cave in Fairfax on Thursday, along with the Pound Salty Suite at the same location on Friday, there will be tons of intense action to lead up to the main event on Saturday and Sunday.

The Cave will be hosting the official Pound 2016 Smash 64 Salty Suite, providing catered food and a professional stream. The Salty Suite will feature several money matches, including some Donkey Kong dittos, Fox dittos, and even a 64 cartridge bet. Pound’s Salty Suite also marks the continuation of the Fireblaster versus BarkSanchez rivalry, with a $20 money rematch from Genesis 3’s hypest Salty Suite match. Expect to see even more hype singles matches added to the slate as the weekend approaches. There will also be a pair of crew battles to cap off the event, fueling regional rivalries. Indiana will be facing Pennsylvania in a Falcon ditto crew battle, captained by ND64 | Bacorn on Indiana’s side, and iXi | Q! on Pennsylvania’s side. The night will be capped off by a 12 character crew battle between Maryland and Virginia, the headliner of the Salty Suite. This style of crew battle limits each team to one player per character, preventing multiple uses of each member of the cast. Featuring top players such as BarkSanchez, Clubbadubba, Shears, Star King, Darkhorse, and potentially LD, this MDVA Civil War bloodbath will once and for all settle which state is the best in the region…at least until the next major. Darkhorse’s channel features an exciting trailer to get us truly hyped for this exciting night.

The true main event starts Saturday at the Pound venue with pool play, leading into Top 32 bracket for both Singles and Doubles, followed by Top 8 for both brackets on Sunday. The seeded top 8 features SuPeRbOoMfAn, Koroshiyo | KeroKeroppi, Tacos, Wizzrobe, TR3G | Fox a.k.a. LD, GODS | Revan, GVS | Fireblaster, and BDSM | BarkSanchez. These players will be looking over their shoulders with some tough competition in the top 16, featuring the likes of Clubbadubba, Firo, NC | lord narwhal, MHC | Combo Blaze, Shears, Darkhorse, and many other notorious threats. No match is free, and no top seed is safe, as everyone has taken the past couple months to prepare for this stacked major. Everyone has made great strides since Genesis 3, but majors are a whole other animal, how will the pressures of a high stakes event shape the bracket?

Tune in to TheCaveFairfax Friday night for the Salty Suite. ThatsADarkHorse will be handling the stream through Top 32 on Saturday, when VGBootCamp will be taking over for the exciting finish on Sunday.

Saltblock Returns

The folks at Indy64 have announced that their Saltblock monthy will be returning. Saltblock II is scheduled to take place on April 23rd at Indiana University. This event will feature intense in-state rivalries and invasions from other regions. At stake here is the glory of being the champion of Indiana as well as placings in the Indiana Power Rankings. The entrance fee will be going towards funding The Z and BarkSanchez to travel to Boss Battle 2. This event will be streamed on PushBlockGaming on Twitch. Videos will be hosted by PushBlockGaming on Youtube. Stay tuned to the Facebook event page for details.

Donation Drives

Over the past year the Smash 64 community has grown substantially. This growth is a byproduct of the members’ ability to come together and support the causes of fellow Smashers. Now two more of these causes need your help. Preston Kwan is progressive releasing a documentary mini series about Genesis 3. The first episode has been released and can be found on his YouTube page, BSMNT Media. He needs your help to ensure the creation of future quality content. If you would like to support Preston in helping show the world Smash 64’s true potential you can donate to his Gofundme page.

The Smash 64 scene in Brazil is full of scrappy and dedicated members. They are at the point where they have made Smash 64 a viable tournament event. They want these tournaments to grow and they can do so by having big talent competeat them. They need our help to get the elite players to these events. They are trying to raise $400 to fly out Alvin, a titan from Peru, to a tournament in May. If you would like to help grow the scene in Brazil you can donate to their TwitchAlerts page.

The Rest

Outfoxx’d

The Clash of the Hoosiers reached its final form this weekend. Outfoxx’d proved to be an exciting rumble in the Midwest with the out-of-staters putting up a big challenge for the local Indianans. WEEGRO was sent to losers bracket by his fellow outsider Amida during Winners Semifinals and was squashed by Indiana’s top player, Saltsizzle. This performance earned WEEGRO a fifth place finish, alongside Indiana’s resident Luigi main, Geno. The Luigi master made a nice run through losers bracket after also being sent there by Amida back in Winners Quarterfinals, but was snuffed out by tyhiggz in losers bracket. Tyhiggz built on his experience at Shuffle VIII and snagged himself a respectable fourth place. After being sent to losers by his fellow Buckeye, he met the same fate as WEEGRO, running into an angry Saltsizzle.

The big story of the weekend was the brutal fight Saltsizzle made through losers bracket all the way to grand finals. This tournament may have ignited a fierce rivalry between Saltsizzle and the Ohian cyoonit. Cyoonit sent the number one ranked local to losers in Winners Semifinals. However, Saltsizzle earned a chance at revenge after he won four sets in losers bracket to force the rematch in Losers Finals. Saltsizzle turned the tables in the rematch, narrowly claiming victory in game five. Despite making it to Winners Finals, cyoonit was unable to keep his momentum going, bowing out after facing Amida and Saltsizzle back-to-back. Despite the spectacular run made by Saltsizzle, Amida was king of it all in the end. He blazed through the winners bracket only dropping one game throughout the whole tournament. He capped it all off with a decisive 3-0 sweep of Saltsizzle in Grand Finals. You can find the full bracket on Smash.gg and replay videos will be posted on the Indy 64 YouTube channel.

Smash! The Score 13

The Volunteer State was host to the 13th edition of Smash! The Score. The format of this tournament was a series of round robin best of fives. Seven competitors took up the challenge at this event, but only one would emerge victorious. A hard fought fourth place was snagged by Syn. Two of his six games went the distance to five games. Derstuck slid in at third place. He swept four of his six matches, but was swept by Zedz and lost to BananaBoltz in a set that went the distance. BananaBoltz put his work in and came out in second, winning all but one set. Four of his six matches also went five games. Zedz was the king of the day. He won without dropping a set and only lost one game the whole tournament. Tennessee is host to a blossoming Smash 64 community led by dedicated and enthusiastic people that deserve some time in the spotlight. They also have a regional tournament coming up in July called WTFox 2. The full bracket can be found on Challonge.

Tiger Smash 4

A small regional took place in South Carolina this weekend. Tiger Smash 4 was host to ten competitors from three states. NIX, one of the South Carolina locals, put his prowess on display in losers bracket after being sent there by Downkick. His run was nearly flawless, dropping only one game until he was defeated once more by Downkick in Losers Finals. This performance afforded him a solid third place finish. Austintacious, hailing from the Peach State fought hard in losers bracket but gained only a fourth place position after being knocked out by NIX. Gato and Downkick, from North Carolina and South Carolina respectively, clashed continuously this weekend. When first meeting in Winners Finals, Gato sent Downkick to Losers Finals where he defeated NIX and made it to Grand Finals for a rematch. The first set led to Downkick resetting the bracket with a convincing 3-0 win. The second set did not prove as fruitful for Downkick, as Gato stomped Downkick in a devastating 3-1 victory to take it all. The full bracket can be found on Smash.gg.

Want to be included in The Weekly Smashback results, have a small scene you want to see in the spotlight? Shoot us an email at thesmashwriter@gmail.com and we’ll be sure to make you a part of a future edition.