Photo Credit: Ayub Arain of Melee Everyday
Dota 2 studio Beyond the Summit's third Super Smash Bros. Melee invitational, Smash Summit 3, is drawing closer by the day. In a befitting manner for the 2016 election year, a number of nominated players are competing neck-to-neck via popular vote for six coveted spots at the invitational. Winners of the vote will be joining 10 other invited players to compete in singles, doubles and a suite of side events at the studio's iconic 'BTS House' in Los Angeles from November 3 - 6.
Getting into a Smash Summit event has proven to have helped previously mid-to-high level players upgrade their game. After all, spending nearly a week with some of the world's best under one roof is bound to teach a thing or two.
That being said, it is no surprise that eighteen-year-old Justin "COG | Wizzrobe" Hallet wants to get in. One of Florida's top players, he has also been a driving force in the development of the Captain Falcon metagame, himself being an advocate of the supposedly optimal 20GX play style.
Wizzrobe, known as Melee's prodigy to some, placed top 8 at multiple majors throughout 2016 including The Big House 6, Dreamhack Austin and CEO. Boasting wins over top 10 players like Juan "TL | Hungrybox" Debiedma and Zac "CLG | SFAT" Cordoni, he is a force to look out for and is only improving with every tournament he attends.
Smashboards recently had the chance to talk to the wunderkind over Facebook regarding his goal to reach Smash Summit, why he thinks he should be chosen and everything in-between. Here is Wizzrobe's appeal for Smash Summit 3.
The Natural
"I started playing when my friend showed me the game when I was 6 years old," said Wizzy in a previous interview with Smashboards.
Melee has been a part of Wizzrobe's life for the longest amount of time, more so than any other game. When he was 13, he attended his first tournament, impressing a crowd of onlookers with the ability to waveshine with Fox during an official match. Soon enough, a spark of motivation was set off, thus beginning his quest to become the best.
"Melee is one of my all time favorite video games, that is the main thing," he said. "If I wanted to be godlike at a game, I have to choose my favorite, or at least one of my favorites."
The road to the top however, is not without its challenges. Despite being one of the best North American Smash 64 players and a casual speedrunner, Wizzrobe considers Melee to be a different beast due to his goal of reaching the absolute peak. "I'm good at a lot of games because I put a lot of time in them, but being the best is a whole lot harder," he said.
Opportunities and Motivations
Wizzrobe (left) with a smirking Westballz (right) at Smash n' Splash 2. Photo Credit: Ayub Arain of Melee Everyday
This is why Wizzrobe wants to get into Smash Summit 3. What could be a relatively normal tournament for the established best would be an important learning experience for the rising star. "I want to take this opportunity and be able to learn as much information as possible about fighting top players and match-ups I don't get to play often," he declared. "This is such a golden opportunity for me and I will take full advantage of it."
For those unsure of who to vote, Wizzrobe had this to say:
"Shoutouts to anyone who votes for me," Wizzrobe said to close the interview. "This is pretty much the peak of supporting me."
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If you want to vote for Wizzrobe, you can do so at Smash Summit 3's official voting page here. For more updates on him, you can follow him on Twitter and Twitch.
Stay tuned to Smashboards for more developments regarding Smash Summit 3.
Author's note: Thank you to Ayub Arain of Melee Everyday for the images. For more information on Chicago's premiere Smash events team, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.
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