This Week in Smash (TWiS) #9: Crab Grand Finals and “POUND 2019” Catch-Up + First DLC Character, JOKER!
A lot has happened since the last time a TWiS went up..! Smash Ultimate received Update 3.0, bringing a Stage Builder mode, an in-game Video Editor, a sharing page for all of these player creations, and some small balancing changes. However, by far the biggest addition in Update 3.0 was the first DLC character for Smash Ultimate, “Joker,” protagonist of the popular 2016 JRPG “Persona 5.”
So while recent Majors like this past weekend’s annual East Coast Super-Major “POUND,” held at Xanadu Games in Laurel, Maryland just barely missed the update, the skillful play was spectacle enough even without Joker present.
But, as if POUND wasn’t already eventful enough though, Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, a controversial top Smash Melee player, yet well-respected person outside of certain toxic online circles, had a bizarre moment mar his big Grand Finals win at the Major.
A strange audience member tossed a crab— yes, you read that right: a red, Chesapeake Bay-type crab— at Hbox’s back as he was celebrating his win.
It was a weird end to what was by most accounts an entertaining, exciting Melee Top 64. The individual’s name will not be released, but he was banned from Xanadu for the foreseeable future, and the Tournament Operators at POUND plan to pass on his name to other MD/VA region TOs, so that they can restrict his attendance to their events as well if they see fit.
Hbox fought his way through a strenuous Losers Bracket run in order to make it to Grands and win, and his accomplishments are ultimately what should shine through, all crab-tossing aside.
But now that you have the recap on the latest Smash happenings, enjoy some highlights of POUND, and of the all-new Smash Ultimate DLC character, Joker..!
“Chia” (Joker) vs. “Spiro” (Joker) @ Hatboro, PA’s “The Lab” Joker Launch Tournament, Grand Finals; 4/18/19:
“Ally” (Snake) vs. “Myran” (Olimar) @ Xanadu Games, POUND 2019 MD/VA Super-Major, Grand Finals; 4/21/19:
Great, tense Bo5 (Best of 5) Grand Finals set between Canada’s finest Snake player, and one of the best Olimar players in the U.S. This year’s POUND had upwards of 1,700 entrants, and it all led to this set.
“Josh Cast” (Joker) vs. “Moosh” (Capt. Falcon/Simon) @ S@LT (Smash @ the Laboratory) Philly, PA Region Weekly #185; 4/23/19:
Probably the best late-tournament Bo5 (Best of 5) set I’ve seen with Joker so far, against one of the Philly region’s finest players nonetheless, Moosh, who’s been in a number of past TWiS featured sets.
“PG I Marss” (Mega Man/Zero Suit Samus) vs. “WBG I MVD” (Snake) @ Xanadu Games, POUND 2019 MD/VA Super-Major, Losers Eighths; 4/21/19:
I relish any opportunity to get my boy Mega Man in any TWiS, and this was a phenomenal set. Two sponsored players, fiends in Ultimate, each with a long history in competitive Smash, going as far back as Brawl, where MVD mained Snake, who sat out the Smash 4 character roster, and Marss mained Zero Suit. But dare I say I like Marss best when he’s on Mega Man..? (Could be my character bias showing, though…) This was a suuuper close set, and the ending was a true nail-biter.
…Oh and I’m gonna break format here for a second, for the first time in a TWiS, to bring you this amazing bit of non-tournament Ultimate, an impromptu side-event at POUND…
“eU I Samsora,” Smash Ultimate’s Premier (Peach) vs. “PG I ESAM,” Ultimate’s No. 1 (Pikachu), $500 POUND 2019 Money Match(es):
$500 on the line; first to ten matches. These boys are craaaaaazy. Oh, and the commentary/comedic video editing was perfection. Shoutouts to Coney and TK on the mics, going from 0 to 110% wild instantly.
