With the spectacular “Year of 64” finishing, it is fitting that the sequel to the tournament that started it all is this weekend. With Genesis 3 setting the record for largest Super Smash Bros. tournament (later broken by Super Smash Con 2016), how does this event stack up? With 166 entrants from several countries, it's not as big as its predecessor. However, the talent pool is just as deep, thanks in large part to donations from the Smash 64 community.
The Kings of 64: Japan
Last year, two very strong Japanese players, Wangera and Wario, attended Genesis 3. The impact both players had was outstanding. Wario ended up winning the entire event in dominating fashion, only losing a set to Daniel "SuPeRbOoMfAn" Hoyt and not even dropping games to anyone else. Wangera both knocked into losers and eliminated fan favorite Joel "Isai" Alvarado, even beating his seemingly-untouchable Pikachu. But who is attending this year you might ask? There are three: Taimai, Yu-Kun and ｋｙｓｋ.
ｋｙｓｋ: ｋｙｓｋ, or k y s k, is the most notable of the three and is one of the dominant Kirby mains of Japan along with Keisuke and Fukurou. With Japan being by far the strongest region for Kirby mains and with the previous impacts of Moyashi and Kikoushi, it is assumed that k y s k is destined to get top 8, if not higher. Top players in major US tournaments have struggled vs. Kirby secondaries such as those of SuPeRbOoMfAn, Taco and Thomas "Revan" Dykes, Canada's strongest Kirby main and easily best Kirby main in North America. His rich prior tournament experience includes 5th at multiple Kanto/Kansai events dating back to 2013, as well as 3rd at Kanto 2016 and 4th mos recently at Japan Smash Cup 2016. He also won a 100 person tournament at Waseda university in 2014.
Here you can see a clip of Taimai's Fox.
The Spanish Slayers: Peru, Mexico, and Chile
Mexico and South America are bringing their A Game to Genesis 4 this year. Arturo "Mariguas" Hernández, Alvin "Alvin" Hara, Yoshua "Dexter" Castillo, Jaime "JaimeHR" Rodriguez, Juan "Shalaka" Munoz and Joshi "Joshi" Monroy are all showing up and are all very strong. Expect top placings from the large majority of players here.
Photo by Phil Nolan (@nilpholan)
Alvin: Alvin is known in the 64 community as the king of Peru and a major threat. After losing to top Yoshis at Super Smash Con 2016, people dismissed the hype behind him as the top South American player. All of their doubts were erased after he dominated SuperBoomed, a major in New York, double eliminating SuPeRbOoMfAn and Mariguas. With a mastery of multiple characters, most notably Falcon and Pikachu, look forward to his top 8 placing here if not higher.
Photo by Phil Nolan (@nilpholan)
Mariguas: A player known for his passion almost as much as his play, Mariguas is the top player from Mexico. His Pikachu and Falcon have been making strides recently, landing him 2nd place at SuperBoomed with a set win over Alvin. He is teaming with Dext3r.
Dext3r: The current 2nd best in Mexico, Dext3r is one of the top Pikachu mains. He got 9th at Genesis 2, losing a set to Wizzrobe. He has vastly improved since his first major event, Apex 2014.
JaimeHR: Known for his doubles prowess with SuPeRbOoMfAn as Team Mejor, JaimeHR used to be the top player in Mexico. Jaime's Falcon and Kirby are not to be underestimated, as they've netted him several top wins.
Also coming is Joshi "Joshi" Cordova Monroy, a Captain Falcon main from Chile. He came to a local NorCal tournament and got 2nd place in a close set to Kimimaru, a Mario main who finished 17th at Genesis 3. Known to other South American players as a doubles specialist, he is teaming with Michael "Nintendude" Brancato. There is also Juan Guillermo "Shalaka" Munoz, a top Pikachu main from Chile.
The Killers From Up North: Canada
Outside of a notable absence of Revan, Canada is looking strong this year. With 5 top level players including a recently sponsored SuPeRbOoMfAn as well The Z, HTom, and Captain L, lookout for their excellent matchup experience involving the entirety of the top tiers as well as the rest of the cast.
Photo by Phil Nolan (@nilpholan)
PG| SuPeRbOoMfAn: A player virtually guaranteed for top 3, Boom is one of the top players in the world. Outside of a recent 3rd place at SuperBoomed, he has been dominating tournaments. Look forward to his top 8 placing with his variety of characters, most notably Captain Falcon and Pikachu. He recently got sponsored by Panda Global Gaming as well.
Image of The Z HandsomeTom, Alvin, and Jimmy Joe "JimmyJoe" McGurl. Photo by Phil Nolan (@nilpholan)
Marco "TR3GTheZ" Jardak: The top player in Montreal, SSBMTL | TR3GThe Z is known for his mastery of multiple characters including a highly technical Fox, Falcon and Pikachu. Along with his speed, his spacing has gotten even better and he is a major threat to anyone. The Z is also known for his doubles prowess with Tacos, known as Team Luv, being one of the few teams to take a set from Boom/Jaime.
Etienne "HandsomeTom" Gagnon: Also known as HTom, HandsomeTom was one of the players who the 64 community has generously donated for. Being personally trained by The Z, HTom quickly rose to 2nd on the power rankings in Montreal. His Kirby has very strong spacing and he has experience in many matchups. He recently got a very respectable 7th at SuperBoomed, losing to a red hot Mariguas and his teacher, The Z.
Other noted players from Canada include Landon "Captain L" Trybuch, a technical Fox main and the top player in British Colombia, as well as Bon, a Kirby/Pikachu main.
The Hometown Heroes: USA
With such a large international audience for Genesis 4, look out for these players to hold down the fort for the USA.West Coast:
Isai: A fan favorite for many years, this Californian smasher very recently confirmed that he is going to Genesis 4. The bigger question here is who is he going to use? With the absence of Wangera, the Japanese player who double eliminated him, will Isai come back and win the entire tournament?
LAS/Los Angeles Smash, who is helping to do a secondary stream, has a large number of strong players looking to do very well. They include SotoH, Wookiee, and Kyle "KyleTree" Trewartha.
Other Californian players include Kimimaru (Mario), Shihman (Falcon/Luigi,) Janitor (a very flashy Falcon/Yoshi), Onski (Kirby) and Duncs (Jigglypuff/Luigi).
Colorado and the Midwest:
From Colorado come D'Artagnan "DTan" Wake and Rafael "MadRush21" Oceguera. Rizner and Village Mascot hail from Ohio as well.
South:
Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallett: A noted Yoshi main, Wizzrobe recently proved that he is most likely the best Yoshi in the world after Super Smash Con 2016. A player with frighteningly good adaptation, he comes to Genesis 4 after winning against Joey "KeroKeroppi" Speziale, a player with whom he's struggled in prior tournaments.
Photo by Jason "Nardwell" Mani of The Smash Writers
Eduardo "Tacos" Tovar: Another player sponsored by the 64 community, this flashy player from Texas is the other half of Team Luv. He uses Yoshi, Falcon, and has very strong Kirby and DK secondaries. Look forward to his play in both pools and bracket.
Other places from Texas include Zero, a Captain Falcon main, and Dillon "CTG" Grandy, a Jigglypuff main.
East Coast:
Joey "KeroKeroppi" Speziale and his crewmate Czar c. John Michaels Photography, 2015.
The Speziale Brothers: Coming from Up State New York, KeroKeroppi and Tommy "Stranded" are both moving from Smash 64 to Melee after Genesis 4. They are both looking to do incredibly well in their last event. KeroKeroppi, a Pikachu/Kirby/Falcon tri-main, stands a good chance to make top 8. Stranded is also a solid multi-character specialist; he uses Falcon/Fox/Pikachu.
Photo of David "Shears" Shears by Jason "Nardwell" Mani of The Smash Writers
Other players from the East Coast are Josh "BarkSanchez" Brody and David "Shears" Shears from MD/VA.
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Who do you think will win Smash 64 at Genesis 4? Let us know in the comments below.In the coming days, be sure to stay tuned to Smashboards for more Genesis 4 content.
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