Entertainment

This Week in Smash #3

Michael Richardson, Editor-in-Chief|January 29, 2019

Another week, another set of exciting new sets to show you! From right in our backyard in Fairfax and beyond, this week has been a good one for Smash Ultimate, so let’s get straight into the best sets of the week!

“Nairo” (Lucina) vs. “Tweek” (Wario) @ “GENESIS 6” Major, Grand Finals; 1/20/19:

! Must Watch Set !
This set was the Grand Finals set for the sixth tournament in the “Genesis” series of majors at Xanadu Games in Laurel, Maryland. Previously located in Baltimore, Xanadu is almost certainly the biggest competitive Smash venue on the East Coast, attributed back in its Baltimore days with the prestige of having popularized weeklies in the Smash community.
This Grand Finals set sees famed Smash 4 Zero Suit Samus main “Nairo” square off against “Tweek,” a Cloud and later Bayonetta main from our own region. Nairo has placed highly and taken #1 at many majors in the past, and Tweek is no stranger to 1st place finishes either, being a dominant force in Smash 4’s majors near the end of Smash 4’s tenure.

Tweek began his competitive Smash career at Xanadu in Baltimore as a young teenager, hard on himself but resolute in his intent to improve at the game. Video from some old Smash @ Xanadu weeklies showed him getting emotional after a close loss against a more seasoned player from our region, MD/VA… but rather than that be the negative end of the story, he and his competition hugged it out, and venue regulars gave words of encouragement and respect to Gavin/Tweek. Today, he stands as a dominant force in Ultimate’s competitive scene, and this Grand Finals is one MD/VA Smash fans should not miss.

“Maister” (Mr. Game & Watch) vs. “yeti” (Snake/Mega Man) @ “Retro Arena 64” Midwest Regional, Grand Finals; 1/26/19:

! Must Watch Set !
This Midwest regional tournament begins with an upset in game one, after “yeti,” the player on winner’s side of bracket, the favored to win, gets quickly dispatched after switching out his main, Mega Man, for Snake.
Quick to realize the error of his ways, yeti goes back to playing his main, and well, all I can say is… he swung back in a major way. This set’s explosive game two start, and game four finish are highlights for sure, but I’ll leave the rest unspoiled for you! Give this one a watch!

SH l “DarkMatter” (Ness) vs. DA l “Venia” (Greninja) @ Xeno Weekly #145, Losers Finals; 1/24/19:

This was a masterful set that sees Venia masterfully weaving his way to a 2-0 set finish and a spot in Grand Finals.
As opposed to the Grand Finals set itself, which was a 20+ minute long game of footsies (gameplay consisting of a lot of small interactions, light hits, and dodgy, skittish movement) and tense stand-offs, this Losers Finals that Venia leapt out of to make Grands is fast-paced and skillful. This is a great set to watch to see the importance of movement in Smash Ultimate in action, with Venia having used his movement to string hit into next hit, grab into grab into kill, and in the end, secure his 2-0.