Super Smash Bros. Melee's premiere invitational returns bigger and better than ever before this week with Smash Summit 3. As per usual, 10 invitees along with 6 players voted in by the fans will duke it out in a stacked double elimation bracket for over $25,000 and a whole lot of pride. Here's our analysis of the the Round 1 matchups and the narratives behind them.Stream Info
All the singles bracket action begins today on Twitch with Brandon "HomeMadeWaffles" Collier, Phil "Phil" DeBerry, Oscar "Lovage" Nilsson, Arian "The Crimson Blur" Fathieh, Daniel "Tafokints" Lee, Vish "Vish" Rajkumar and the competitors at the Summit house commentating on the caster couch. Here is the full schedule:
The Matchups
Joseph “Mango” Marquez
vs. James “Mafia” Lauerman : Let’s be honest – the matchups between the first and last seeds at previous Smash Summits have been very one-sided. This time around, New England hero Mafia is looking to change that trend and silence his critics against Mango. Though he has improved significantly this year, Mafia is inarguably the underdog in this set, and it would be a massive surprise if he were to pull off the upset versus Mango.Pikapal’s Prediction: Mango convincingly beats Mafia 3-0.
Adam “Armada” Lindgren
vs. Edgard “n0ne” Shelby : Fan favorite Captain Falcon main n0ne has made great strides in his play this year, proving he can even take out the “Gods” of Melee by famously beating Mew2King at GOML 2016. However, it’s important to remember that Armada has not dropped a single serious tournament set to player outside the “Big 6” since Pound 4, making him the heavy favorite in this matchup.Pikapal’s Prediction: n0ne puts up a good fight, but Armada takes the set with a clean sweep.
Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma
vs. Ryan "The Moon" Coker-Welch : Though PewPewU has proved in the past that it is possible for Marths to defeat Hungrybox, the odds will be stacked against The Moon in this match. The New York representative has never been well known for being strong in the Jigglypuff matchup, and if he were to pull off the upset, it would be his first win over one of the gods.Pikapal's Prediction: The Moon has his moments but Hungrybox adapts and stays composed to win 3-0.
Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman
vs. Johnny “S2J” Kim : Though S2J has historically been weak against Sheik and he holds a 0-2 record against Mew2King in 2016, it’s hard to count out the flashy Falcon main. Beating Mew2King as Captain Falcon is clearly possible as evidenced by n0ne’s win over Mew2King at GOML 2016, and S2J came extremely close to defeating Mew2King at Clutch City Clash in August.Pikapal’s Prediction: Mew2King wins the set 3-1 as S2J keeps it close, likely winning a game on counterpick such as Pokémon Stadium.
William “Leffen” Hjelte
vs. Kevin “PewPewU” Toy : Longtime League of Legends rivals TSM and CLG meet up for the the third time at a Melee tournament in this long awaited rematch between Leffen and PewPewU. In their last set, PewPewU almost swept Leffen before the Swedish Fox clutched it out and won 3-2. With PewPewU coming off great performances at The Big House 6 and SSS: Blood for Blood and Leffen still trying to find his footing as he makes his American return, expect a similarly close and exciting match.Pikapal’s Prediction: PewPewU starts off strong but Leffen keeps his composure and adapts to take the win 3-2.
Zac "SFAT" Cordoni
vs. James "Duck" Ma : Duck will be looking to take his first set win this year over SFAT. Both players have improved significantly this year, and their game 5 set at Shine 2016 and SFAT's convincing win at Dairly Beloved shows that this set could go either way. Will SFAT move on to get his rematch versus Hungrybox or will Duck add SFAT to his list of impressive wins in 2016?Pikapal's Prediction: SFAT and Duck go back and forth as SFAT takes the set 3-2.
Justin "Plup" McGrath
vs. Jeffrey "Axe" Williamson : "Demi-gods" Plup and Axe will be facing off for the first time since CEO 2016. Plup is the favorite to win, boasting an impressive 3-0 set record over Axe this year, using both his Sheik and Fox. However, be sure not to count Axe out -- their CEO 2016 set came down to the wire, and if the fan favorite Pikachu can get in the zone, we could be in for an equally close set.Pikapal's Prediction: Plup wins against Axe 3-1 in a fairly tight match.
Weston “Westballz” Dennis
vs. Dajuan “Shroomed” McDaniel : California natives Westballz and Shroomed will be facing off for the third Smash Summit in a row this weekend. Shroomed currently has the upper hand in sets 2-0 in 2016, beating Westballz at Smash Summit 2 and Smash 'N' Splash 2. If Westballz cannot find an answer for his weak Sheik matchup in time, Shroomed's winning streak over the Red Falco may very well continue at Smash Summit 3.Pikapal's Prediction: Though Westballz manages to win a game on a strong counterpick such as Yoshi's Story, Shroomed comes out victorious 3-1.
---
Excited for the singles bracket at Smash Summit 3? Share your predictions in the comments or tweet with the hashtag #SmashSummit3.