D1 has casted some of the biggest games in history © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

When competitive fighting game fans think about the games they love, there’s a short list of people who have succeeded both as a competitor and as a professional. These people can be found in all sorts of positions. Seth Killian and Peter "Combofiend" Rosas have both played the part during the course of Street Fighter 4’s lifespan as players-turned-community managers. Adam "Keits" Heart went from being a well-respected fighting game competitor to the creator of fighting game cult classic Divekick. And in Melee’s case, D’Ron "D1" Maingrette has made several transitions: from player, to commentator, to employee at one of the largest gaming companies in the world.

Before #BANNED

D1 was an avid gamer long before his rise to fame in the Smash community, but the announcement of Super Smash Bros. for the N64 and its subsequent release were particularly exciting for him. “Ever since my high school days I've always dreamed of a fighter featuring Nintendo characters. I never made a connection with characters in conventional fighters because their story was too shallow for my liking. The controls were usually too complicated to me as well.” So when he watched the trailer on IGN back in 1999, it was as if his prayers had been answered. D1 played the game vigorously — and when Melee came around in 2001, he was one of the first to play it. “I never missed a chance to get the games on release day. On Dec. 3, 2001 I drove out to Toys 'R Us and got one of the few copies of Melee left before they sold out at the Kings Plaza Shopping Mall in Brooklyn, New York.” He loved it from the get-go, but like everyone still playing Melee, he started as just another kid playing a game. “I still remember the first time I ever played Melee. I immediately went Sheik and spammed forward smashes on Termina Bay.”

For many top players, Melee was love at first sight. D1 loved the game, but his path was not quite so straight. By 2004, D1 was competing in video games, but Smash was not one of them. “I was a competitive Soul Calibur 2 player in the tri-state area. Additionally, the Naruto GNT series was starting to get more playtime on my GameCube than Melee. I enjoyed playing the game, but I was one of the few in my group of friends that enjoyed playing without items. I didn't know any advanced techniques, but I just found item battles too random.” Before he had ever heard of the competitive scene, D1 was gravitating toward it. Items were fun, but if it meant the best player didn’t win, what was the point?

D1 is a professional, but still brings the hype © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Eventually, D1 found the community he had been seeking — but not where one might expect. “While perusing through the now defunct Calibur Forums, I came across a thread highlighting competitive Smash players like Ken, Captain Jack and Isai. My interest was piqued after seeing the videos, which rekindled my love for Melee.” These unknown players breathed life back into what had previously become a stale game for him. “After seeing how fast and precise these players were moving, it was as if the game was brand new again.”

The pressure (to succeed)

Shortly after, D1 went to work on Melee, learning all that he could about the game. He read through Smashboards forums regularly, going as far as printing out a physical copy of Cunning Kitsune’s 13-page long Fox guide to read on the go. But all the preparation in the world couldn’t ready D1 for his first tournament. “The event was held at the Neutral Grounds in Manhattan, and hosted by the Deadly Alliance. I was immediately humbled by going 0-2 in tournament.” D1 learned a lot about himself that tournament. Not only did he learn what destruction felt like, he learned just how strongly he felt about the importance of neutral stages. “The Deadly Alliance had a love for the non-conservative stages, which threw me off as I never practiced on those. I still remember facing a Jigglypuff named The Lunch King in losers and getting up-throw rested for all four stocks as he camped on Fourside's far left building. It was from that day forward that a fire burned inside of me to get better at Smash, and to always ban silly stages that would put me at an utter disadvantage.”

For D1, #BANNED is not a new thing.

Luckily for everyone, D1’s first tournament would not be his last. He continued to play and improve, and by 2007 he had climbed his way into the NYC Melee Power Rankings. D1 competed against old-school players like Jman, Bum and Wes, as well as current names such as NinjaLink and Hax . He competed in both Melee and Brawl. In the current era of Smash, it’s hard to imagine much cross-pollination between titles, but at the time Brawl had just released, and many players enjoyed both titles. But over time, Melee died out in his area, while the more defensive style of Brawl stopped holding D1’s interest. By 2009, D1 was back to his old self — learning more about all the fighting games he could.

D1 spends lots of time under the bright lights © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

“2009 was the year of the soul searching D1. I got back into the GNT series again, and started playing Naruto CONR3 in tournaments, getting second at my first ever NYC event. I purchased Street Fighter 4 after seeing all the cool content Gootecks put out there. I also dabbled in BlazBlue after countless hours of hanging out in Chinatown Fair with Noel Brown, Justin Wong, LI Joe, NYC Fab and Alzarath.” D1 spent time in every community, learning new things, and watching top community members grow their scenes. And when he came back to the declining NYC Smash scene, he was ready to do the same for it. He created event series for Melee and Brawl, and bit by bit, New York began to revive.

Commentator’s blessing

D1 also began to hop on commentary with other players, but never thought much of it. “Commentary was just for fun. I never thought I was special, to be honest. I just researched the game a bunch, played it for years, and knew a lot of the players' stories.” D1 did have a leg up on other competitors, however. He was used to working in front of a crowd. “Growing up in a family that made me give public discourses at a religious institution every week at a young age helped a bunch. Public speaking was one of my favorite classes in school as well.”

Apex 2010 was his first big break as a commentator, but D1 doesn’t like to give credit to a single event for his success. He feels it’s his full body of work that has given him success. “Every major that I commentated at got more eyes on me. Events like Pound 5, every Apex since 2010, the EVO series, Zenith, Don't Go Down There Jeff and the Revival of Melee series were just a few of the many reasons I became big. Many of these events had VGBootCamp there recording and broadcasting, so I owe them a lot for my success as well.” Over a number of years, D1 worked tirelessly to become a household name in the Smash Bros. community, which has not only paid off for him personally, but for the scene as a whole.

D1 answers the call!

In recent years, D1 has started to leverage his considerable fame to build up the scene he loves so much. While he is known by just about every competitive Smasher out there, he’s put in a lot of work behind the scenes to get Smash Bros. the recognition he feels it deserves. D1’s first big goal was to get Apex 2014 sponsored by Nintendo itself. It wasn’t an immediately successful venture, but it created another opportunity that was arguably much bigger. “In late 2013, I worked hard to get Nintendo’s support for the Apex Tournament Series. I had met a Nintendo contact at that year’s New York City Comic-Con. After a couple emails back and forth we weren’t able to get support for Apex 2014 on time, but we were instead invited to the E3 2014 Smash Invitational.”

The event was a huge hit with hardcore fans and casuals alike, and gave several top Smash Bros. personalities a new connection to the house that Iwata and Miyamoto built. “During the planning stages, we built up a rapport with the team and from there we were in good standing to have them endorse Apex 2015. ”

Apex 2015 was a watershed moment for D1 © Robert Paul/@tempusrob/rmpaul.com

Up until this point, D1 had been building community and flying around the country to work while holding down a fulltime job. It wouldn’t last forever, though. In early 2014 he was let go from his job as a research analyst. Where some would be discouraged, D1 saw an opportunity to throw himself into his true passion. “Having the freedom to not work a desk job allowed me to travel to many conventions, trade shows and tournaments helped me get better at networking and facilitating the bridge building process between the right people to make things happen. Knowing so many people in the industry helped me become a great asset for the community.” D1’s passion paid off quickly.

He received several job offers from companies interested in his talents, but D1 was only looking for one thing: a way to keep building Smash. “Twitch was the only place that actively sought out people who wanted to help grow the scene. After seeing what Twitch has done for the Smash scene for years, it was the best decision for me make. After working closely with the Twitch staff at Apex 2015 to keep the event afloat, I got hired a few weeks after along with the Crimson Blur.”

Twitch times

Not one to rest on his laurels, D1 is still promoting the Smash Bros. series from his position at Twitch. “The goal that the Crimson Blur and I have at Twitch is to help structure and legitimize the Smash community through strategic partnerships. There are a lot of corporate people that love Smash, but don't know who to help or where to start. It is our job to let them know.” The two have been working in tandem to bring Smash to the masses, and while D1 can’t announce anything concrete he’s excited to share some of the projects Twitch has been working on. “I will say that there are fun things down the pipeline and people should stay tuned. If you're a die-hard Smash player, there'll be a reason to rejoice in the near future.”

The Smash Bros. community loves D1 for the same reason D1 loves it: perseverance. "My favorite attribute about the Smash community is perseverance. Trials and tribulations have befell us on numerous occasions, and yet we're still here. I think that says a lot about us." It's clear to see that Smash Bros. has come a long way since the days of grassroots tournaments in player's basements, but D1 isn't ready to relax just yet. He hopes that the grassroots community that fought so hard to get here won't either. "All I ask is that the scene doesn't get complacent. Strive for excellence, push ourselves to the limit, look for areas in where we are lacking and improve. There is still much work to be done, and time waits for no one."

Check back next Tuesday for another installation of Friendlies, our weekly series profiling the Smash Bros. community.

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