Last weekend, we covered Smash @ Tier 3, a Mexican regional that took place in Mexico City, the home of some of Mexico's best. Players like Javi, Richi, D~Pollo and even Regi, who flew directly from Guadalajara, were confirmed to attend. Leo, a local to the area and the #1 ranked Smasher in the country, was also present. He was the favorite to take the tournament, but he encountered opposition from his cousin Serge, a young Lucario player.
Using what some would consider a mid-tier, Serge quickly climbed the bracket. Not using his usual Meta Knight and opting instead for Marth, Leo defeated Mexico's best to face his cousin in Winners Finals, but found that he could not get past Serge's Lucario. After being down 0-2, Leo finally unleashed his Meta Knight, quickly taking game 3, but Serge brought it back in game 4 with a well-placed Aura Sphere, winning 3-1 and sending Leo to the Loser's bracket.
With a quick victory over Regi in Loser's Finals, Leo came back with a vengeance to battle his cousin again in GF, but Serge showed that he was ready. Being down 0-2 again, Leo surprised everyone by choosing Cloud and bringing it right back, resetting the bracket. In an even more impressive move, Serge opted to switch to Cloud too. After some intense battles, Serge finally trumped Leo in the ditto and won the tournament.
While this isn't the first time Serge has won a regional, having defeated Hyuga in a previous Smash @ Tier 3, double eliminating the best player from Mexico is still an impressive feat. Interested in learning more about this Smash warrior, we managed to get a little interview with him.
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HyperNova: Do you practice in your house, or do you just play when you go to tournaments?
Serge: In my house. I practice with Leo a lot because he lives really close to me.
HN: Do you have a special training routine?
S: I play versus, because here we play all games seriously. We are very competitive. You should see us play Bomberman 64! I sometimes use training mode to check hitboxes and stuff like that.
HN: Who are your mains?
S: Lucario and Cloud, but I love my other characters like Charizard, Link, Roy, Marth and Pikachu. They mean a lot to me.
HN: And did you start with Lucario or did you switch to him after trying others?
S: I started with him since Brawl. As I said before, each character means something to me. That's why I don't use "top tiers". Though I do think he [Lucario] is tournament viable."
HN: What do you like about Lucario?
S: He has a lot of options by switching his power. And that you can take a stock with 4 or 5 well-placed hits.
HN: Now, what was your strategy for entering the Top 8?
S: I really didn't have a strategy. I just stuck to my fundamentals and tried to be unpredictable.
HN: Do you plan to attend any US tournaments?
S: Yes, but I still don't know which one. My visa and passport are still in the process of being obtained.
HN: One last question, what are your plans for the future? Will you dedicate 100% to Smash or would you try to balance it with school?
S: Let's say I will try and invest the necessary amount in Smash. I will finish High School though.
HN: Ok, I guess that's about it. Would you like to say something to potential US competitors?
S: Hmm, no, not really...
HN: Wow, you are the first one to actually say something like that. Thanks for the interview!
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With the recent Genesis 3 crew battle, we got a taste of Mexico's hidden talent. Now, it seems the US needs to add one more player to the potential threat list. While Serge still doesn't have a Twitter account, you can watch him and the other top players in the upcoming Mexican majors! Stay tuned to Smashboards to find out when those are coming up!
Serge now has a twitter, give him a follow if you want!
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