Caption: SFAT’s Twitter

Towards the end of my long and prosperous Japanese stay, I managed to score an interview with top 10 Super Smash Brothers Melee player in the world, and one of the world’s best Fox mains, SFAT. Sponsored by Counter Logic Gaming, SFAT visited Japan for two reasons — 1) To relax and see the sights, and 2) To take down Japan’s best player, Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto, the world’s best Yoshi player. Speaking to SFAT at Battle Gateway 19, a Japanese regional held in Tokyo, Japan, it showed just how far apart America and Japan are in terms of Melee’s place in the respective country’s e-sports scenes. “If I were to compare it to an American tournament, it’s the size of a local weekly, especially in Southern California. We get about 100 people, and I think there’s a little less than 100 people (there were 88 competitors). I think it’s cool the Japanese players came out.”

At the time of the interview, SFAT had never beaten aMSa. Having recently lost to him 3–0 at Genesis 5, the first supermajor of 2018, there was a definite desire for revenge. AMSa had always had SFAT’s number, and whether that would change that day remained to be seen. “I would like to fight aMSa in Grand Finals, because I’ve never beaten him before but whoever I face I’m happy to fight.”

This looked set to continue, as later that day he would lose to aMSa 3–2 in Winner’s Finals. However, SFAT was finally able to conquer one of his demons, defeating aMSa 3–1 in two consecutive sets of Grand Finals. This was the cherry on top of an already enjoyable Japanese trip. “I love Japan so much. I wish to live here someday. At least for a few years.” A trip to Kyoto was a highlight. “I went to Kyoto for a bit and walked around Fushimi-Inari. It’s a mountain/shrine. It was an hour and a half hike around the mountain. I also went to a lot of bars, drank a lot and met a lot of cool people.”



Unfortunately, one of the realities of being a professional gamer is that you can’t always visit the places you want due to smaller scenes, which is something SFAT commented on. “I probably wouldn’t come to Japan for a Smash tournament, because Smash isn’t very lucrative in Japan.” Hopefully one day this will change. “Everyone has to think like that at one point in their lives. Priorities. I wouldn’t say it’s hard. The hard part is knowing which events to go to, and sometimes I go to too many events and burn myself out. Last year I went to 42 tournaments in the whole year, and I was so burnt out. I nearly quit playing, because I was so burnt out.”



This Japan trip couldn’t have come at a better time, then, because it’s been part of the recovery from this overload. “I didn’t play Melee for three weeks, and was kind of a potato. I played other games, and did other things that interest me. This trip was also kinda helping that too. I’m sorta planning my year now, going to a lot less tournaments, and focusing more of my energy on things I do want to go to.”



Coming to events like Battle Gateway, where he is the favourite, can prove scary. SFAT noted the important of staying grounded. “I never expect to win a tournament. Even if I know I’m the strongest person at the tournament, if I expect it, that I’m going to win, I’ll underestimate opponents, then I’ll get frustrated at myself. I’ll lose my cool, pretty much. I have to stay composed, and a lot of it is done through breathing, being humble, not underestimating my opponents. Treating every opponent like they’re a top 10 player. Giving it my all.”



Speaking about Japanese players, he was saying that he was surprised by the quality of Japanese players across the board, and singled out Gucci, a Japanese Captain Falcon player. Unfortunately, Gucci did not attend Battle Gateway 19, but SFAT played him at a smash fest the previous day. Whilst Gucci doesn’t have much international exposure, SFAT placed him “4th, 5th or 6th “ in terms of worldwide Captain Falcon mains, which is high praise indeed.



Speaking about the neutral game, one of the most intricate parts of the game (referring to when neither character has achieved a significant hit on the other), SFAT had this advice. “Being cognizant while you play. Many people, when they play Melee, they’re not being aware of why something is working, or what is even working, and after only an hour or two of play, they turn their brain off and they’re just pushing buttons. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that, and if that someone is you, then you’re not really pushing yourself.” He also stressed the importance of regulating yourself when playing. “You have to know when you’re peaking, when your attention is peaking, and when you’re slipping you need to know to take a break and to rest your mind. It’s like going to the gym. To be optimal, to get the optimal gains, you need to go at the proper times, rest at the proper times, eat the proper nutrition. It’s the same for anything, and specifically Melee, you need to know when to rest.”



For the rest of 2018, he’s “trying to make more YouTube videos on Smash, and my thoughts on Smash.” When asked who the best player in the world is? “Me. Nah, I’m just kidding. I don’t know right at this moment, it’s really hard to say. I’d like to say Armada, but I really don’t know! It’s the million dollar question.”





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You can read SFAT’s neutral guide at http://clgaming.net/news/829-sfats-neutral-game-guide, follow him at @SFAT on Twitter and check out his YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOt_isBpLo6M0ivqYYIsdDQ

You can follow me at www.twitter.com/benmaddentweets and email me at ben.madden@hotmail.com