For five years, the BEAST tournament series has been the premier tournament series in Europe. BEAST 6 will only continue that tradition, being the biggest European event to date and featuring all of Europe's best. Here are the storylines and details for Melee at BEAST 6 this weekend.
The Battle for Sweden: Gothenburg vs. Stockholm; Armada vs. Leffen
Photo by Robert Paul (@tempusrob)
BEAST has historically been a very important tournament series in the Armada vs. Leffen rivalry. BEAST 4 was the first time Leffen beat Armada, marking the Stockholm native's first tournament win over one of the gods. At BEAST 5, Leffen won the tournament over Armada again, also beating Mango on his way. Recently, Armada has cemented himself as the best in the world, while Leffen has not been able to compete in the U.S. since September. However, with Armada and Leffen only playing two serious sets in the past 6 months, their match could go either way at BEAST 6.
Land of the Free
Similar to DreamHack Winter, many of America's best will be invading Europe, this time at BEAST.
Westballz will be making his third trip over to Europe this weekend. His last two ventures were very successful, managing to beat Leffen at DreamHack Winter coupled with a 3-1 set count against Ice. This past weekend he was victorious at Kickstart 6, beating Ice twice in Grand Finals after losing to him in Winners Finals. However, Westballz will have bigger challenges than Ice, as he only took one game from Armada in 2015 across 5 sets. Westballz will also have his eyes set on beating Leffen, a player he has very recently exchanged trash talk with.
Slip n' sliding his way into Europe is Abate, who is arguably now the world's best Luigi. He will be looking to redeem himself from Genesis 3, where he finished at 25th place. If Abate can replicate his incredible run from The Big House 5, BEAST 6 could be another great tournament for the American Luigi.
Although he is shifting his focus to commentary, Wobbles has shown that he is still one of the best, if not the best, Ice Climbers player in the world. He had his famous run at Forte 3 where he won the tournament over Westballz and SFAT, and he recently placed 9th at PAX Arena after beating Shroomed and nearly taking down S2J. If the Phoenix can rise from the ashes once again, BEAST 6 could be Wobbles' time to shine.
Last but not least is ESAM, one of the few top multi-game specialists at BEAST 6. Although he focuses more on Smash 4, ESAM has shown he can still perform in Melee, as shown by his top 32 performances at Paragon LA and The Big House 5. With this in mind, BEAST 6 may just be another strong tournament for ESAM -- not just in Smash 4.
Europe's Best
Photo by Michael Hathaway (@TL_Peanuts)
Germany
: Leading Germany is Europe's #3: Ice. The Sheik-turned-Fox has a ton of momentum going into BEAST 6 after placing top 8 at a supermajor for the first time with Fox at Genesis 3. Ice continued his success at Kickstart 6 this past weekend by beating Westballz and Abate 3-0, despite losing the tournament. Joining him is reaper (without the capital R), who has shown great improvement recently. With wins over the likes of Zgetto and Tekk, reaper has shown he can compete with Europe's best, and he will be looking to continue that at BEAST 6. Other top Germans at BEAST 6 include Timi
(from Austria but ranked in Germany), SchlimmShady
, and MISTRRLOVE
.
The Netherlands
: The Netherlands has consistently been one of the strongest countries in Europe, and BEAST 6 is shaping out to be no exception for them. Their longtime #1 player Amsah had his best performance in a very long time at Avalon M-II, where he beat Ice twice to win the tournament. With his strong record over everybody below Ice in Europe, Amsah is set for success at BEAST 6. #2 in the Netherlands Zgetto has similar momentum going into BEAST 6, also putting in an impressive performance at Avalon M-II by beating Professor Pro and placing 3rd. The Dutch Fox also had a great loser's run at DreamHack Winter, finishing at 13th place. Finally, there is Adam, a Falco/Fox who is one of the top 5 in The Netherlands with recent wins over players such as Amsah and reaper.
United Kingdom
: The United Kingdom is one of the strongest countries overall in Smash, and Melee is no exception. Leading the British is Professor Pro, who had his best year in Melee so far last year, with impressive results in both the U.S. and Europe. If he can get past his demon, Amsah, Project M will likely not be the only game Professor Pro will be in top 8 at BEAST 6. Although he is more inactive these days, Fuzzyness will be looking to prove that he is still one of the best in Europe at BEAST 6. He had a surprisingly impressive run at DreamHack Winter, where he beat Tekk to finish at 13th place. With his Fox and Captain Falcon, Fuzzyness could make a deep run at BEAST 6. Some other Brits to look out for include VA
, Deathgazer
, BrTarolg
, Alpha Dash
, and R23
.
Spain
: A handful of Spain's best will be coming to Sweden for BEAST 6. Overtriforce is considered one of Europe's best Sheiks, and for good reason. In the past 6 months, he has taken sets from players such as Westballz and Professor Pro, even taking a game from Armada in that time. Although he has recently dropped sets to the likes of SchlimmShady, Dev, and VA, his performance at Kickstart 6 this past weekend, where he beat Abate and Professor Pro, suggests that he is ready for BEAST 6. Joining him is teammate and Spain's #2, Trif. Despite the fact that he doesn't compete out of Spain very often, Trif's wins over Overtriforce and consistency shows that he is set for success at BEAST 6. Two other top Spaniards at BEAST 6 include K-12
and Plinci
.
Sweden
: The Swedes will be defending their home country once again at BEAST 6. Aside from Armada and Leffen, many of their strongest players will be coming out to play. Android made great strides in his play in 2015, solidifying himself as a top 10 European and top 50 in the world. With wins over S2J and Zgetto at DreamHack coupled with other strong results, Android will likely not be the only Lindgren at BEAST 6 having success. Also from Gothenburg is Calle W, Sweden's best Falco. Calle W rarely competes outside of Sweden, but his in-country results have remained consistent, even managing to beat Android and Professor Pro. Many other top Swedes will be at BEAST 6, including Beat
, Zoler
, Humpe
, Jadde
, Random-ness
, Yuna
, FA0
, Aniolas
, and Volvo
.
France
: Although their star player Tekk will not be in attendance, France will still be looking to make a splash at BEAST 6. Mahie had a very solid 17th place finish at DreamHack Winter, beating Jeapie on his way. The same can be said for Baxon, a Falco main who finished 25th and has previously beaten Westballz and Professor Pro. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for Aether
and Fauster
.
Here are some more countries to watch out for:
Finland
: Mayhem
, Peki
, bËsti
, NamiNami
, and Salevits
Norway
: Kriz
, Flikkflakk
, Sverre
, and Zorc
Denmark
: Eagle
, King Funk
, and Stelzig
Switzerland
: Yah Ridin'
, AE.
, and Alain
Hometown Heroes
Photo by Michael Hathaway (@TL_Peanuts)
Gothenburg brothers Armada and Android will be defending their hometown in doubles, but they will not be without a challenge: Leffen and Ice. Although the Lindgrens have historically had the upper hand in the matchup, Leffen and Ice defeated them 3-1 in their last meeting at Eclipse. With the two teams meeting for the first time in 2016, BEAST 6 could set the tone for teams in Europe this year. Other notable teams include Professor Pro/Fuzzyness, Overtriforce/Trif, reaper/Blaze, Amsah/VA, and Mahie/Baxon.
World War Smash
Art by Dotcore via Dorkly
Aside from the singles and doubles events, there will be international crew battles. Sweden is looking to defend their home turf with Armada and Leffen leading the teams, coupled with other top contenders such as Android and Beat. America will be their most formidable foe, having arguably the strongest team overall with Westballz, Wobbles, Abate, and ESAM. Additionally, the Netherlands has one of the most well-rounded teams with Amsah, Zgetto, and Adam, while Germany has heavy hitters such as Ice and reaper. The UK will be the only country with their top 3 players, Professor Pro, Fuzzyness, and VA. France will be looking to remind Europe not to sleep on them with their team comprised of Mahie, Baxon, and more. Lastly the two underdog countries of Finland and Norway will be looking to make a deep run with players such as Mayhem/Peki/bËsti/NamiNami and Zorc/FlikkFlakk/Sverre/Kriz, respectively.
Stream/Schedule
All the Melee action at BEAST 6 will be streamed on Saturday and Sunday on
GeekyGoonSquad, Europe's top Smash stream. Country Crews will happen on Saturday, while top 8 for Singles and Doubles will be on Sunday. Here is the full stream schedule:
Spread the hype by tweeting on Twitter with the hashtag #BEAST6, and play the
BEAST 6 fantasy draft for a chance to win some awesome prizes!
