Where to begin... this tournament was nothing short of indescribable. And to think it all started with a Facebook poll...
This event was filled with so many unforgettable moments. Moments that made me well up in pride at what we as a community were able to do. At the hospitality we were shown when we finally made it. At the grace with which we accepted our prize, at the maturity we displayed, at the statement we made with our attendance numbers and Twitch viewership.
A once thought of as hostile and hateful community of Fighting Game players welcoming us with open arms and nothing but warm words as we were invited as guests after a hard-won donation drive.
Our communities mingling in ways thought impossible. James Chen commentating Melee. Chris G dropping by the Clash stream to say a few words. Smash players entering traditional fighting games and performing well.
An exceptional player maining a character that has been almost unanimously thought for years to be cemented at 8th place on the tier list going through 3 out of the 5 best players in the world in nailbiting sets on his way to Grand Finals.
A champion once again reclaiming the throne by going through all 4 of the rest of the top 5 and Wobbles in two sets in a display of dominance not seen in years.
Quite possibly the best top 8 this game has ever witnessed, displayed to a crowd of 140,000 viewers at home and over 3,000 people at the venue. An entire crowd of people jumping, cheering, clapping and screaming over players using Doctor Mario, Sheik, Marth, Fox, Falco, Peach, Ice Climbers, Jigglypuff in Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo trying to stop the above from happening, and getting shown that we will not be silenced. We will play a game heralded for allowing the player freedom to play it how he or she desires in the way we desire, and they can't and won't stop us.
After all was said and done, an emotionally overwhelming "One More Year" chant from a large group of passionate players who love their game, showing their support for another Melee @ EVO experience.
And countless more.
[break]
I planned to quit after APEX, but decided to give EVO a go, and I was glad I did. This was my last Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament, and what a last hurrah it was. I've had people tell me not to quit, that my DK is inspirational etc., and I really appreciate those sentiments, but I do not enjoy competing in SSBM anymore. There is no longer a character I have fun using competitively, and I have felt this way since late last year (right after RoM). From now on, I will be competing exclusively in Project M, so I'll still be seeing a lot of my old friends from the Melee community at the bigger tournaments where both games are featured. I still have an interest in commentating Melee, but the community has really stepped up on that front in the past year, so I feel it would probably be best to shy away and let those more passionate about the game do so.
Here are my shoutouts. If I didn't mention you and we interacted in some way at EVO, you most likely contributed to this event being great. Thank you. Some of you I've already gave "shoutouts" to in person, so I'll leave you out, but I'm not forgetting you.
To
the EVO staff and any volunteer judges for running one of the greatest Smash events of all time.
To
Mimi, for being hospitable to many and giving us a ride to your lovely home from our hotel. Your mom was also very nice to us, pass along a thanks for me please <3
To
Armada, for fulfilling my dream of getting to play the world's best Pit in some serious Project M games. There will never be another Pit that compares, and I'll treasure those games forever. Sharing fries at Inn n' Out was fun, too.
To
the rest of the top 8 of Melee, who put on a show that no one will ever forget.
To
anyone I had the pleasure of sharing the mic with on commentary. From memory, I think this includes
Tafokints,
Violence,
TheCrimsonBlur,
MacD, and
prog. It was one of many highlights of the weekend for me, thank you for sharing that experience with me.
To
anyone else who commentated Melee and represented our community with a level of professionalism that is often overlooked but ever present.
To
anyone in the FGC that I had the pleasure of talking to. I had many an enjoyable conversation with all of them I interacted with, and I was impressed quite a bit. Special shoutouts to
SkiSonic,
Ultra David,
James Chen, and
Gootecks, it's no wonder that the FGC is so strong. It has powerful pillars holding it together.
To
the PMBR members that I met or saw again, it's always a pleasure to interact with an online colleague in real life and play the game we make.
To
JCaesar, Jolteon, Fuzzyness, and AC, for being pleasant roommates during my stay in Vegas. Worst part of these events is always saying goodbye. Hope to see you guys at another tournament soon, you're cool dudes.
To
anyone I played in tournament. I may not have played up to my own standards, but either way
Hyprid and
Omgage you both outplayed me in our sets. Congrats on qualifying for bracket.
D1, we already smoothed this over IRL, but I was only upset at myself during our set, not at you. We're cool. <3
To
anyone I played in Project M. I had more fun playing PM than I did playing Melee, as is usually the case, even with the limited number of setups. Thanks especially to
Meta,
K9,
And finally, to
the entire Smash community that contributed to EVO via donation or by attending or both. We accomplished something great here, and this is only the beginning. There's nothing we can't do when we work together toward a common goal, and we proved that through this journey. Be proud of yourselves. Keep your heads up. We did great things, and the struggle only continues from here in the post-EVO times. Get bigger, get better, but never forget where you've come from. What made you what you are today.
[break]
Unfortunately, among all of the pure amazement and enjoyment I had this weekend, there was but one stain on it. To
the person(s) of a particular room who thought it would be a "fun game" to intentionally exclude me from anything occurring in that room throughout the weekend to the point where many of my friends were encouraged to avoid the subject in conversation and even straight up lie to me about it for supposedly no particular reason whatsoever. What I experienced in this scenario was the antithesis of what I have come to love about the Smash community; a welcoming, all-inclusive and non-discriminatory experience for all, culminating due to a shared love of competitive Smash. I did not appreciate this "game" of yours. I do not enjoy spending $350+ on plane tickets to attend a tournament for this kind of nonsense to occur, eating up hours of my limited time in Vegas throughout the weekend. I don't need to mention names, you know who you are. I hope it was worth it to you.
We out. See you guys at Big House 3 or APEX.
*dip*
