The tournament will run with two rounds of pools, narrowing the entrants down to a 24 players in a final bracket. Phase one of pools with feature 16 different bracket pools of 11 players, while phase two will feature 4 pools of 16 players, with 4 players making it out of each pool in each phase. This format will allow two players from winners side and two players from losers side of each pool to advance to the next round.
I’d like to take this moment to go over each pool in phase one, specifically the top two seeds in each pool, as these seeds will most likely be advancing to phase two pools.
POOL 1: Xayya “ThundeRzRieGN” Thammavongsa and Zack “Flarp” Gordon
Despite his third place finish at Blacklisted 3, Thunderz is still incredibly dominant within the Project M scene, being the first seed overall at this tournament. It’s hard to see anyone being able to best Thunderz this early in the tournament, but the 4th seed in the pool, Ricky “Rise” Ramunni, a Game and Watch player from Connecticut, has recently been making a name for himself, placing 4th at the NY/NJ Arcadian. Although it’s unlikely, Rise’s unconventional character could be the answer to Thunderz’s reign.
On the other side of this pool, we have Flarp, a Luigi player ranked #6 on Massachusetts’ PR. Flarp is known for his defensive, non confrontational playstyle, which has net him wins against the likes of Mask, Aidan, and Boiko at Blacklisted 3. He will most likely be going up against another Game and Watch player, Spencer "Mr. Watch and Learn" McLaughlin, currently ranked #14 on the NY/NJ PR. While Flarp has more recent wins over top players, Watch and Learn has wins over players like Switch and Malachi. This will most likely be one of the closest matches in round one pools, and you won’t want to miss it.
POOL 2: Malachi “Malachi” Covington and Thomas “Silver” Manning
On the first side of this pool, we have Malachi, whose Peach and Sheik have earned him the #4 spot of the PM Rank, as well as the #1 spot on the NY/NJ. Recently, Malachi took 2nd place at Blacklisted 3, beating Thunderz twice and losing to Hyperflame in winners finals and grands. Malachi will most likely be playing against Robert "Parcour_Robfox" Robinson, an Mewtwo from Pennsylvania. Based on both players’ current records, it’s not very likely that Robfox will be able to overcome this first seed.
Over on the other side of pool 2, we have Silver, Massachusetts’ current #2 player. Silver has been known for his dominance with Falco and his consistency in the Massachusetts scene. Going up against him will most likely be Ben “Vortex” Geoghean. Vortex, previously being a Melee player, is known for his bread and butter Sheik, but he also has plenty of other characters at his disposal. However, being a Melee player, it’s likely that Vortex will stick with Sheik, as he’d be most experienced in the Sheik Falco matchup. This will be another close match to look out for.
POOL 3: Alex “Hyperflame” Mireles and Max “Shiny Zubat” Guerrero
Hyperflame, currently ranked #8 on the PM Rank, has recently shown he’s even better than his ranking makes him out to be, placing 1st at Blacklisted 3 with his technical Lucas, beating Malachi. Currently, Roy player Paul “Yono” Yono, currently ranked #7 in Michigan, is seeded to play Hyperflame at the end of this pool. Yono has proved to be fairly inconsistent, but he still has wins over players like Dirtboy and Ripple.
The lower side of the bracket will see New Jersey’s Yoshi and Luigi player Shiny Zubat, who’s currently ranked #15 on NY/NJ’s PR, and Dustin “Dusty” Tran, currently ranked #2 on Philadelphia's PR. Recently, Zubat not only beat Dusty at the Philadelphia Championship, but beat Envy right after, putting himself as the favorite to win in this set. However, Dusty has recently been showing that he’s nothing to scoff at, placing 9th at Smashadelphia.
POOL 4: Flipp and Jason “Red Ranger” Pai
Flipp isn’t talked about as much as most top players, but he’s proven to be one of the most consistent players in the game. Placing 2nd at Bigger Balc and 4th at Blacklisted 3, he’s earned his #10 placement on the PM Rank. The player seeded to play against him is Cody “Yata!” Anderson, currently ranked #6 in Michigan. Yata, being another Snake player, has a lot to measure up to against Flipp. An upset here is unlikely, but it’s not uncommon for unpredictable outcomes in dittos.
The lower side of this pool will have Red Ranger, Socal’s resident Ganon main and #6 on their PR, going up against Cedric “Goode” Goode, MD/VA’s #4 player and Sonic main. This match will be interesting, as one of the best and inactive Ganon players, Junebug, is from the same region as Goode, so it’s hard to say if he has experience in the matchup due to Junebug rarely using the character. Red Ranger, on the other hand, has two of the best Sonic players on his PR, meaning he most likely has a lot of experience in the matchup compared to Goode. Like most of the lowes seed matches, this will be another interesting set to see.
POOL 5: Kyle “Switch” Carlon and Michael “techboy” Leleniewski
Despite his #18 spot on the PM Rank, Switch’s Wolf has easily put him as one of the best players on many people’s lists. Recently, Switch placed 5th at Blacklisted 3, losing to Malachi and Thunderz. His opponent, Victor “Keychain” Hernandez, is a Wario and Dedede player from New York. Keychain is somewhat inconsistent, but he has beaten Switch in the past, making this upset completely possible.
On the other side of the bracket, Michigan’s #4 ranked player techboy, known for his Ice Climbers, will be facing off against Anthony "HM04" Creatura, Connecticut’s #6 ranked player and mewtwo main. Although techboy doesn’t have much out of region experience, he recently placed 5th and Smash’N’Splash 3, beating Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma for top 8. On the other side of the coin, HM04 has wins over many high level players, notably Zubat. However, both of these players play fairly obscure characters, and it’s likely that neither player has much experience in the matchup, making this set hard to call.
POOL 6: Michael “Emukiller” Silbernagel and Cameron “LoyaL” George
Emukiller, currently ranked #11 on the PM Rank, is not a player you should easily count out. Despite not being as active as many other top players, he manages to maintain strong placings at events, placing 9th at Bigger Balc, beating both Hungrybox and Joey "Lucky" Aldama. His seeded opponent, Johnny “Gooley” Gooley, a Sonic currently ranked #3 on Connecticut’s PR, has garnered himself a reputation for making upsets in pools. Earlier this year, he brought Sosa to game 3 in pools, and last year, at The Big Balc, he beat Jose V. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Gooley take this set, but Emukiller is still the favorite in this case.
The lower end of the bracket will see LoyaL, Socal’s #5 ranked player and Game and Watch main, face off against Jared “JJK” Johnston, another Game and Watch main. JJK hails from Southern Ontario, where he’s currently ranked #2. Although many players had never heard of him before, JJK managed to place 17th at Blacklisted 3, one of the largest events this year. Although LoyaL has shown mastery with his character, this is bound to be a close set.
POOL 7: Jose “Jose V” Villasana and Trent “Zhime” Moss
Jose V, known for his exceptional Ness, earned himself the #9 spot on the PM Rank, and the #2 spot on Socal’s PR. At The Bigger Balc, Jose V placed 9th, beating players like Mr. Watch and Learn and Burntsocks. His likely opponent, Isaac “Zork” Malaret, is a Toon Link player from New York. Recently, Zork placed 2nd at the NY/NJ Arcadian, proving that, despite not being PR’d this season, he’s nothing to slouch at. Although Jose has the advantage in terms of player skill, there are very few Toon Links on the west coast, while Zork will have experience from players like StereoKiDD and even Boiko.
Over on the other end of this pool, Zhime, an inactive Zelda player from New York, will most likely be playing against Bradley “Mask” Barnard, a Charizard and Metaknight player from Upstate New York. Despite only attending a few events a year, many people still consider Zhime to be the best Zelda player in Project M, and with good reason. At the first Supernova, he placed 5th, and at Olympus, which had the most top Project M players of any tournament, he finished with a solid 33rd. Mask, on the other hand, doesn’t have a legacy as glamorous as Zhime’s. That’s no reason to count him out, of course. Just recently, Mask beat DVD at Blacklisted 3, placing 33rd overall at the event.
POOL 8: Dustin “Darc” Hayes and Brennan “Bongo” Avery
Darc, currently ranked #19 on the PM Rank and #1 in Massachusetts, is known for his mastery with a wide array of characters. Darc has been a notable Melee player since 2007, but has shifted his focus towards PM, where he dominates his home state. At Blacklisted 3, Darc placed 7th overall, a strong finish for any player. Seeded to play him is Cristian “Narq” Claros, a Lucas player from New York. Despite recent shortcomings, Narq has remained a threat in the NY/NJ scene, and has recent wins over players like Zubat, Gooley and Poilu.
The lower end of this pool has Bongo, a fairly inconsistent Falcon player from Long Island, most likely playing against Dimitri “Poilu” Poitiers, France’s #1 player and Lucario main. Bongo, currently ranked #11 on the NY/NJ PR is known for his cerebral Falcon play, often winning sets off of hard reads in neutral. Poilu, known for his technical Lucario play, is coming from France to compete at Supernova, and has a lot to lose in this set. While Bongo is seeded to win, he has been known to beat top players one day, and lose to lower seeds the next, so an upset here is quite likely.
POOL 9: Brandon “StereoKiDD” Boom and Ares “Blitz” Cochrane
On the first side of the bracket, we have StereoKiDD, a Ness player currently ranked #28 on the PM Rank and #7 in NY/NJ. With a win over Hyperflame earlier this year and a 33rd place finish at The Bigger Balc, StereoKiDD is the easy pick for this pool. However, his seeded opponent, Correy “Bubbles” Pearlman, has been recently making a name for himself, taking 1st place at the NY/NJ Summer Arcadian with Captain Falcon.
On the other side of this pool, Blitz, currently ranked #1 on the Southern Ontario PR, will most likely be playing against Manny “Dumshiny” Carrillo, a Dedede player currently ranked #14 on Socal’s PR. Blitz, known for his Ike, recently beat Flarp at Blacklisted 3, finishing 33rd at the tournament. Dumshiny, recently placing 13th in EVO 2017’s Project M side event, and beating Aidan earlier this year, is likely going to be a tough challenge for Blitz. It’s likely that both players have little experience against each other as well, with Dedede being a rare character and few Ikes being in Socal.
POOL 10: Aidan “Aidan” Shea and Nick “Boiko” Boiko
The first side of this pool has Aidan, currently ranked #3 on the NY/NJ PR, seeded to play against Leo “Comb” Curran, a ROB player from Massachusetts. Recently, at Smashadelphia, Aidan placed 3rd, beating Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman and Hyperflame. Despite not being on the PM Rank, Aidan is considered by many to be among the best Project M players. His opponent, Comb, cannot say the same, but has still proven to be a formidable player in the past. Being fairly inactive this year, he still managed to beat Silver, one of Massachusetts’ best players, and Kalne, one of Japan’s best players.
On the other side of the bracket, Boiko, a Metaknight and Ness player ranked #34 on the PM Rank and #10 on the NY/NJ PR, is seeded to play Devin “Reslived” Gajewski, another Ness player ranked #5 on the MD/VA PR. Despite Boiko playing Metaknight and Ness, it's unlikely we'll see a Ness ditto with Boiko favoring Metaknight. If one were to look at the brackets from Blacklisted, it seems both players are quite close in skill, with Boiko barely out placing Reslived. However, when looking at set counts, Boiko was able to bring Hyperflame, the winner of the tournament, to game 5, making it harder to believe that Reslived will win. Of course, that's no reason to count out Reslived, and this could very well be a close set.
POOL 11: Messiah “Phresh” Williams and Marc-Alain “MorKs” Bouchard
Phresh, ranked #23 on the PM Rank and #6 on the NY/NJ PR is known by many to be the best Ice Climbers players in PM, and many believe that he revolutionized the character. His seeded opponent, Eddie “E2xD” Gideon, currently ranked #8 on the MD/VA PR is no stranger to his character, either. E2xD’s Link is considered one of the best by many people, behind Hero of Time and inactives like SoL and Aklo. However, this is another matchup where it’s hard to say if either player is experienced in the matchup, with few Link players in New York and few Ice Climbers players in MD/VA.
Over on the other end of the bracket, MorKs, Montreal’s #1 player and Wario main, will likely play against Ness main Anna “Kumatora” Harmak, who’s currently ranked #5 in Massachusetts. MorKs has been dominating Montreal's’ PM scene for quite some time now, and has recently shown his international talent, placing 13th and the Bigger Balc and Smash’N’Splash 3, with wins over StereoKiDD and Gallo. Kumatora, on the other hand, has similar wins, recently beating Marshall “Marshall” Stock and Kycse. On top of that, Kumatora also plays Twisty, a local Wario player, almost every week, giving her an edge in the matchup. This will be another exciting match you won’t want to miss.
POOL 12: Jacob “Dirtboy” Smith and Pete “Envy” Grieco
On the first side of this pool, we have Dirtboy, ranked #21 on the PM Rank and #2 in Michigan for his exceptional Squirtle play, seeded to play against Ryan “Kunai” Romanos, currently ranked 9th in Massachusetts with his Toon Link. Dirtboy has been boasting strong results this year, placing 13th at The Bigger Balc and Blacklisted 3, and 9th at Smash’N’Splash. Kunai, while he has little to show for national results, should not be counted out. Recently, he placed 3rd at the NY/NJ Summer Arcadian. It’s unlikely either player has matchup experience, leaving Dirtboy as the favorable pick, but Toon Link still beats Squirtle, so an upset is always possible.
Meanwhile, on the other side of bracket, Envy, rank #14 on the PM Rank and #13 in NY/NJ, is seeded to play against Joe “Willford Brimley” Corcoran, a Snake player ranked #7 on the Massachusetts PR. Envy, despite being considered one of the best Project M players in the world last year, has had less than stellar placings this year, dropping him down to a second seed at this tournament. However, this does not mean he is by any means a bad player, especially when considering his recent 17th placing at Blacklisted 3. Brimley, on the other hand, is an up and coming player, receiving the same placing as Envy at Blacklisted 3. Brimley’s Blacklisted 3 run saw him beating the likes of Reslived and King Koney. This is sure to be another great set between third and second seeds that you wouldn’t want to miss.
POOL 13: Anthony “Gallo” Gallo and Raseen “BP” Khan
Gallo, currently ranked #7 on the PM Rank and #4 in NY/NJ, has proven to be somewhat inconsistent this year. While he remains to undeniably be the best Mario in PM, he’s placed far under his expectations at Blacklisted 3 and The Bigger Balc, placing 25th at both events. However, 25th is still an incredibly strong result, and he proves to still be a threat in the NY/NJ scene. His seeded opponent, Hakeem “AssTAStic” Adams, is another Mario main, and one that many consider to be a hidden boss. AssTAStic placed 33rd at Olympus, one of the largest Project M tournaments of all time, seemingly out of nowhere. This is another match that could make or break either player's reputation.
The other side of this bracket will have MD/VA’s Diddy Kong and rank #3, BP, seeded to play Prem “prem” Panchal, currently ranked #9 in NorCal with his Falco. BP, recently placing 17th at Blacklisted 3, is one of the best Diddy players in Project M right now, while the same can be said about Prem and his Falco. Recently, Prem has garnered wins over the likes of LoyaL, and on top of training with ThundeRzRieGN, he’s no stranger to top players. However, BP used to be a Fox main himself, so he’s no stranger to the spacie matchup. This match could easily go in either player’s favor.
POOL 14: Will “Twisty” Gomez and Arjun “Junebug” Rao
Twisty is currently one of Massachusetts’ best players, backing up his #4 placing on their PR. With recent wins over players like Lucky, Pikmon and Mask, as well as a 7th place finish at Blacklisted 3, Twisty has been proving his worth to region more and more every tournament. However, his seeded opponent, Anthony “Ant” Scoppio, has done the same for his region before. Despite recent inactivity, Ant’s Lucas still has sets over players like DVD, and earlier this year at the Flex Zone 2, he managed to bring Hyperflame to game 3. Of course, his inactivity will still be a factor in this set, as well as matchup unfamiliarity from both players, neither of them having a Lucas or Wario of their caliber in their region. It wouldn’t be too far off to say that this may be the most exciting first seed match in round 1 pools.
Over on the lower end of the bracket, the legendary Diddy player from the past, Junebug, ranked #5 on the PM Rank, is seeded to play against Connecticut’s #7 player and Donkey Kong main, Kevni “King Koney” Kica. Junebug, coming off of a 17th placing at Smash’N’Smash after losing to a fellow MD/VA player, has a lot to prove to the community. After over a year of being the best Project M player, he proved that he was still a forced to be reckoned with after a 5th place finish at Olympus, and this could be his chance to prove himself again. King Koney, on the other hand, has just as much to prove. Thunderz, the current best DK player, doesn’t really have any competition, but after a 17th place finish at Blacklisted 3, beating Mafia and Mask, this set could be his chance to prove to everyone that he could be the next best DK.
POOL 15: Luke “Yung Quaff” Ferris and Jose “JFyst” Rosario
Yung Quaff, ranked #3 in Massachusetts and #9 in NY/NJ, is a Metaknight player who’s been making a name for himself in the scene after a 5th place finish at CGC 2017. Of course, he wasn’t done there, taking 7th at The Bigger Balc less than a month later, beating Dirtboy, LoyaL, and Hero of Time. His seeded opponent, Lucina “Peachwave” Bovadilla, ranked #10 on Michigan’s PR with her Donkey Kong, will likely have a hard time against Quaff, with little out of region experience. However, despite a lack of out of region experience she still has experience against strong local players, such as Antoine “Anther” Sledge and Dirtboy. While the odds are stacked against her, Peachwave could still pull out a win, making her a sort of wildcard this tournament.
The other side of this pool has JFyst, a Sonic main ranked #3 on South Florida’s PR, seeded to play against Nick “Vari” DeMarco, a Mario player ranked #3 in Philadelphia. JFyst, being a player who doesn’t travel often, was written off by many players when he attended bigger balc, but he proved his skeptics wrong with a 17th place finish, beating SoCal’s #3 player Jake “Venom” Hefner, Phresh and taking Thunderz to game 5 in a close set in loser’s bracket. However, Vari may be the perfect player to stop him in his tracks. With few Mario players in Florida, it’s hard to say if JFyst has much experience in the matchup, while one of Vari’s training partners is a Sonic main. On top of this, Vari was known as a sort of hidden boss when he lived in New York, taking sets from Aidan, another one of his training partners.
POOL 16: Kyle “Kycse” Carrero and Brian “DVD” Sherbert
Kycse, ranked #44 on the PM Rank and #2 on the Connecticut PR, is considered by many to be the best Charizard player in Project M. With recent wins over Mew2King, Envy, and Dirtboy, just to name a few, he’s one of PM’s strongest and most consistent players right now. His seeded opponent, Cory “SonED” Trone, a Captain Falcon currently ranked #9 on the MD/VA PR, is looking to take this pool from him. After a stellar 5th place finish at We Tech Those 2 last year, he hasn’t been able to match that level of performance. Supernova could be his chance to show the world that We Tech Those wasn’t just a fluke.
Finally, on the last part of round one pools, we have New Jersey’s Toon Link DVD, ranked #12 on the NY/NJ PR and #16 on the PM Rank, seeded to play the Game and Watch player Aidan “A_E_D” O’Connel, ranked #10 on the South Florida PR. DVD, considered by many to be the best Toon Link behind the inactive Zachary “Lunchables” Sain, has been a consistent threat on the east coast for years. At Blacklisted 3, DVD finished 13th, beating BP, SonED’s training partner, along the way. With no outstanding performances since We Tech Those 2, this set could be SonED’s chance to not only prove that he’s still in the game, but to avenge his friend and send DVD into losers bracket early.
And that's everything you need to know about the projected pools! Many of these matches will be streamed, on two separate channels. The first day of the tournament is this Saturday, July 29th. The pools will start at 4pm EST, but the streams will start at 12pm EST with Doubles.
The main stream will be https://www.smashcast.tv/NebulousGaming.
And the secondary stream will be https://www.smashcast.tv/AONStreams.
If you want updates on the tournament, you can follow their twitter here.
If you'd like more info about the tournament, or if you'd like to buy any merchandise to support their compendium and fly out more players, you can check their smash.gg page here.
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