Going into SKTAR 3, there were a lot of unanswered questions with regards to the Super Smash Bros. Brawl community. Opinions were circling that this would be the final farewell to the game with Smash 4 on the horizon–what was originally a Brawl national series had now been eclipsed in entrants by its counterparts, Melee and Project M. Brawl had a lot to prove on SKTAR weekend, and its players came through in a huge way with an action-packed tournament that captivated even the game’s most vocal critics.

Winners Semis: ESAM vs Ally

ESAM and Ally have a storied rivalry that has been a catalyst to many exciting sets. When they squared off in winners semis they lived up to the hype, with their set going to game 3, last hit during the final seconds of the match. Ally looked poised to take the set, holding onto a large percentage lead for a majority of the game and playing a calculated keepaway style with hopes to wall out ESAM from an opportunity to gain momentum. However, by focusing on maintaining his percent lead, Ally’s moves became telegraphed, which allowed for ESAM to slowly even up a set where every hit was crucial. Game 3 was determined in the final 10 seconds of the game clock, with ESAM down 130% to Ally’s 109%. After using Meta Knight’s tornado to escape from Pikachu with 5 seconds left, Ally uncarefully put himself in a position for ESAM to seize the moment. Off an incredible read on a panic back roll by Ally, ESAM shocked the entire venue by landing a charged forward smash that sent Ally to the losers bracket with just 3 seconds remaining on the clock.

Winners Semis: 9B vs ADHD

Hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun, 9B had two goals in mind for SKTAR: have fun and win. In a classic player matchup that debuted at Apex 2013, 9B found himself paired against ADHD, SKTAR 2 champion and the best Diddy Kong in the world. Both of these players are known for their technically sharp and innovative playstyles, largely credited for refining and optimizing the metagames of the Ice Climbers and Diddy Kong in SSBB. The players struck to Final Destination game 1, a stage that typically favors both of their characters due to the absence of platforms and its wide main battleground. By forcing opponents to stay grounded, Ice Climbers can easily pick up infinite grab opportunities, and Diddy Kong’s brick wall anti-approach strategy is facilitated. On the last stock of game 1, 9B bravely charged the edge as ADHD was coming onto the stage and was rewarded with a grab. This would spell the end of a very close game 1, as 9B finished off the game with a cleanly executed hand-off combo. ADHD counterpicked Smashville, but 9B was not fazed. 9B established himself early on in the match with a chaingrab into forward-air, then following with a footstool to end ADHD’s first stock. 9B did not look back after that KO, scoring another chaingrab and then watching the famed Diddy Kong fall to his death with an unfortunate SD on his final stock. 9B was one step closer to his goal, and had guaranteed himself a top 3 position in the tournament.

Winners Finals: 9B vs ESAM

In a matchup that we haven’t seen quite some time in the winners finals of a Brawl national, 9B and ESAM would decide who made it to grand finals through an Ice Climber mirror. Both players showed strong fundamentals, displaying impressive control over their characters and highlighting a side of Ice Climbers that we do not usually get to see. Ice Climber mirrors follow a completely different dynamic than their other matchups–instead of focusing on landing a grab and converting it into a KO, IC mirrors force the competitors to consistently use footsies and spacing to take control of the match because Nana, the AI-controlled character is almost always nearby to interrupt their opponent’s chaingrab. This set went to game 5, with ESAM showing that although he may be most known for his Pikachu, his Ice Climbers can also contend at a top level. 9B was too powerful, however, and he managed to narrowly take the set with a forward-air KO at high percent, earning himself a ticket to the grand finals of the tournament.

Losers Semis: Nairo vs CT ZeRo

First and second place in Brawl at Apex 2014 got their grand-stage rematch in the losers semifinals. Both fearsome Meta Knight mains, there was no shortage of intense swordplay on both the ground and in the air during this set. ZeRo, who has been travelling the United States all the way from Chile, was hot off a long streak of wins in Melee, Brawl, and Project M since Apex. However, Nairo was able to stop him cold in his tracks to defend his Apex 2014 champion title. This was the last best-of-three set of the tournament, and it fittingly went to game 3. These two titans exchanged very close games on Battlefield, ZeRo taking the first, but Nairo pulled through in the last seconds of the set. He ended it with a grounded Shuttle Loop near the edge of the stage to rip ZeRo out from underneath the edge, which sent him hurtling to his death. The unspoken rivalry between these two young masters of the Smash series certainly heated up a bit after Nairo took another victory, perhaps sparking some motivation for Brawl underneath the multi-game specialist ZeRo.

Losers Finals: Nairo vs ESAM

After ESAM fell to his Japanese counterpart in Ice Climber mirrors in winners finals, he was faced with another monstrous opponent–Nairo, the champion of the losers bracket. Arguably the United States’ two strongest players squared off in a best-of-five set, each game played with Nairo as Meta Knight and ESAM with his trusty Pikachu. In an impressive exchange of fast-paced action, the two showcased a level of Brawl gameplay that many spectators had not previously been exposed to–even Liquid’KDJ later remarked in an interview that he was taken aback by Nairo’s level of speed and aggression. Nairo’s offense would prove too strong once more, as he took the set with a clean 3-1 after punishing an accidental Skull Bash from ESAM with a forward-tilt into grounded Shuttle Loop.

Grand Finals: Nairo vs 9B

The grand finals at SKTAR3 showcased the best player in the United States versus one of Japan’s most decorated champions. With Nairo coming from the losers bracket, he needed to win two best-of-five sets to take the tournament. 9B looked composed and happy as always, displaying no signs of nerves on the finals stage. This finale lived up to the hype in every sense of the word, going to game 5 in the first set to decide whether or not 9B would walk away as champion or if Nairo would reset the bracket. 9B started off with an early lead, successfully managing Nairo’s aggression and controlling the stage. After being down two stocks, Nairo found some fire within himself and charged back to even up the match on the last stock. Capitalizing after a roll from a botched glide into the ground, 9B made no mistake on Nairo’s final life, and with the last hand-off of the day he solidified himself as the winner of SKTAR 3 SSBB singles. In a fantastic display of sportsmanship, the two hugged it out after their intense five game set, with the crowd ecstatically cheering for their new champion. 9B had accomplished what he set out to do and left the tournament on an inspiring note.

For those who didn’t know, 9B was given the opportunity to fly to SKTAR 3 because of a community-wide donation effort led by fellow top IC player, Vinnie. After the tournament concluded, 9B said he wanted to give part of his winnings back to the people who helped him compete this weekend–that it was enough of an honor to be able to play the game he loved and represent Japan. After a discussion with The Dul0r, ESAM, and Vinnie, he was assured that the winnings were deservedly his, and they encouraged him to use the winnings to continue pursuing his passion for Super Smash Bros. 9B walked away from SKTAR 3 with a coveted American national championship under his belt, and the unanimous respect of both the Melee and Brawl communities. A shining example of someone who plays for the simple love for the game, 9B embodies everything that is Smash Bros.

Overall, what SSBB lacked in sheer entrants, it made up for in the passion, excitement and diversity of its competition. Featuring players from Mexico, Canada, Europe, Japan,and the entire U.S., this tournament was a reminder of what truly defines a community–the love for its respective game. After a tournament packed with exciting moments and memorable finishes, what was originally touted as Brawl’s last hurrah now seems to be yet another chapter to contribute to the on-going history of the game.

Final Results *97 entrants*:

1. 9B
2. Nairo
3. ESAM
4. CT ZeRo
5. ADHD
5. Ally

Full Bracket here

Article written by Joe “ItsTOJoe” Cribaree. 

Images ripped from CLASH Tournaments

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