Japan: The Top Kirby, Link, and Yoshi Finally Arrive
Fukurou is the top Kirby in the world, usually placing second or third in all Japanese majors (along with wangera) to wario. With ｋｙｓｋ getting 3rd place at the even stronger Genesis 4 (only losing to Alvin and SuPeRbOoMfAn), he is the presumed favorite and is seeded first overall. In The Smash Writer's exposition on this weekend, all of the top players are assuming Fukurou is top seed outside of potentially the rare try-hard Isai and Mariguas.
Hiyo is the top Japanese Yoshi main (out-placing Prince, bonobono, and Kurabba at multiple recent events) with a strong technical Fox secondary. Hiyo has been showing his remarkable play with several characters, unlike how most players in Japan are known for only having one main. He is seeded for and expected to get top 8.
Gyaki is the top Link main in Japan along with hebiichigo. While Link is a low tier on the current list, Firo, the top American Link, has gotten top placings before and Gyaki comes from a stronger region. He also has several strong secondaries and many of the tournament organizes believe he can get top 8 easily, especially if he doesn't solely use Link.
Mexico: Mariguas/Dexter's Time to Shine?
With SuPeRbOoMfAn and Alvin missing, Mexico is looking to perform well at SNOSA III. The usual Mexican titans Arturo "Mariguas" Hernández, Yoshua "Dext3r" Castillo, and Jaime "JaimeHR" Rodriguez are attending along with a few new players such as Weedlypuff.
Without Boom and Alvin, Mariguas's main competition are primarily the Japanese players outside of Isai. Will this be his first major win? Dext3r is looking for another strong performance, having recently finished 3rd over tacos at Smash 'N' Splash 3. Jaime is looking for a bit of a comeback, having missed most recent majors. Weedlypuff is a Jigglypuff main and has been showing his prowess during the SNOSA III Smash Fest.
The Rest From West to East
The rest of the people shown here range from new threats to established faces in the Smash 64 community.
Joel “ Isai ” Alvarado
etc.| The King of Smash 64; if Isai is known for one thing, it's his unpredictability. From going Fox and Mario primarily at Genesis 4 to going Jigglypuff and Link in other events, Isai has shown that he is a powerhouse regardless of character. However, with the tough competition this time around and with his most well known secondary Fox losing last major, many people are saying that Isai will need to go his absolute best character, Pikachu, to stand a chance at winning this.Thomas “ Kimimaru ” Deeb
| One of the top NorCal players, Kimimaru is a Mario main and is currently ranked 30th on the SSB64 League Rankings. His brother
Hydra
is also a strong Mario main.Alex “ Hero Pie ” Ornelas
| The top player from SoCal, Hero Pie has dominated the strong SoCal region and has gotten several top placings. He's currently ranked 26th on the SSB64 League Rankings.Des'joshua "D35" Rabanal
| Primarily known for his Pikachu while also having a Captain Falcon, D35 is a strong SoCal player who is currently ranked 61st on the SSB64 League Rankings.Daniel “SotoH” Soto
| SoCal’s top Kirby main and member of the LA_Smash streaming group, SotoH is currently ranked 53rd on the SSB64 League Rankings.Mateen “Zero” Emad
| Having strong placings at the recent Let's Go Baltimore and several other events, Zero is the top player from Texas outside of the absent Eduardo "tacos" Tovar. While primarily known for his sensational Falcon, Zero also has a vastly improved Pikachu. Also coming from Texas: Matt "NaCl" Hamzeh, a Kirby main ranked 41st and Dillon "CTG" Grandy, the top US Jigglypuff solo currently ranked 50th.D'Artagnan "DTan" Wake
| First known for taking a game from Isai at last year's SuperSmashCon, DTan has become a rising champion of the 64 community. The top player from Colorado and 27th ranked on the SSB64 Rankings, DTan is commonly considered the best solo Kirby main in North America. His spacing is among the best of the many players coming here, and he rarely gets upset in bracket. From Colorado also comes MadRush21, a very strong Captain Falcon and Pikachu player.Josh "BarkSanchez" Brody
| One of the nation's top Pikachu mains, MD/VA's BarkSanchez first started his rise by making some upsets at ODS, another West coast major. He's currently ranked 22nd on the SSB64 League Rankings, though this is expected to rise quickly. His brother Darkhorse, a Falcon/Jigglypuff who is ranked 55th on the rankings, is also attending.David "Shears" Shears
| Known for his TOing as well as his opinions, MD/VA's Shears has been primarily using Yoshi after his recent switch from Pikachu. He's currently ranked 35th on the rankings.Schedule
All times listed above are in local (Pacific) time. Tune in to SSB64 and LA_Smash for the weekend starting today, Saturday 6/17.
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Who do you think will win Smash 64 at SNOSA III? Let us know in the comments below.
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