Earlier today, 2GGaming announced that they'll be sponsoring the elusive Ranai to attend Genesis 4 in January. Ranai is without contention the strongest Villager main in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but he is also notorious for not attending very many tournaments. Fortunately, he is now locked in for what will surely be one of the most exciting premier events of 2017. This move by 2GG is also notable because they already sponsor his longtime teammate komorikiri, meaning that you'll get to see more of their legendary doubles team.
Part of this sponsorship likely hinges on Ranai's impressive Genesis 3 performance. In the singles tournament, he tore through the winners' bracket before losing close sets to Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios and Samuel "Dabuz" Buzby. His 3rd place finish with such an unusual character was unprecedented. On top of that, he and komorikiri managed to win doubles by triumphing over fearsome teams from around the world. They even beat ZeRo and Nairoby "Nairo" Quezada in grand finals, proving that the world's strongest singles players couldn't even disrupt their exceptional synergy.
Ranai's most recent US appearance was at EVO 2016, where he finished in an impressive 5th place despite a several month hiatus. Though he didn't make it as far as his fellow countryman Kameme, he did manage revenge against Dabuz, tying the set count between them at 1-1. Ranai made it clear that he doesn't have to attend tournaments frequently in order to claim top-level wins. He may not be the first person on everyone's mind to win Genesis 4, but make no mistake: no player wants to meet this man in bracket.
You can keep up with Ranai's adventures via his Twitter and personal stream. Also, be sure to stay tuned to Smashboards for more updates regarding Genesis 4.
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