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Vayseth's Voyage: ZeRo's EVO Training

Vayseth's Voyage is an article series written by The Big House Wii U Head TO Vayseth straight from Japan. Every week, he will be bringing you articles on various topics regarding the Japanese Smash Community. Bringing Smash Communities around the world closer and closer together with every article!

Previous Articles:
Vayseth's Voyage: Japan's Top 3 Wii U Tournament Series
Vayseth's Voyage: KARISUMA 6 Results and Review
Vayseth's Voyage: SUMABATO 9 Results and Review
Vayseth's Voyage: Japanese Game Bars
Vayseth's Voyage: KVOxTSB 2016 Review and Results

Vayseth's Voyage: Japan's Love of Team Tournaments
Vayseth's Voyage: Vayseth Visits Umebura 23
Vayseth's Voyage: Japan's Lack of Consistency
Vayseth's Voyage: The Struggling Japanese Melee Community
Vayseth's Voyage: Interview with Double A Battery
Vayseth's Voyage: Komorikiri's Resurgence
Vayseth's Voyage: Making a Difference



@ZeRo tries some Japanese BBQ (Yakiniku) with the Kansai Smash 4 Community.

At Umebura 23 I was asked if I could help with getting as many top names from outside of Japan to this August's Umebura S.A.T. (Second Anniversary Tournament). When I contacted @ZeRo about the tournament he surprised me by saying that he wanted to go to Japan, but he wanted to do it as soon as possible to train for EVO. He wanted to spend three days playing against the best in Eastern Japan (Kanto) and three days playing against the best in Western Japan (Kansai) and it had to be kept under wraps until after EVO had concluded. I immediately got to work with @Ayuha and we were able to give ZeRo the intense one week Smash 4 boot camp he asked for.

ZeRo began his training in Kanto where he stayed with @Nietono for three days. There he was able to meet and play against all of the best players in Kanto who could make it out to see him. Players such as @Raito, @KEPT, @Rain, @YOC, @KEN, @Umeki, @Keron, and the player he said he had the most trouble with, @Kirihara. ZeRo tried to do as many first to 10s against Japan's best and Kirihara was the only one to take one from ZeRo. ZeRo lost 10-5 with Cloud against Kirihara's Rosalina, but ZeRo was able to take it back 10-8 with his Diddy Kong. ZeRo told me every single match was down to the last hit and it was one of the most difficult sets he has ever had to do. Unfortunately, @Kameme was unable to meet up with ZeRo as he had prior work obligations and ZeRo was only in Kanto during the week. He would spend the weekend in Kansai at the 9B Smash House.

9B and myself went out to pick ZeRo up from the shinkansen (bullet train) station in Osaka and we immediately started asking him about how he did against everyone in Tokyo. "I came out very positive overall in every friendly I played, but Kirihara was so good I am almost convinced Rosalina is the best character in the game," ZeRo told us during the drive back from the train station. We had a lot of work to do if we were going to live up to Kanto's standards and so we rounded up every single player we could think of: @9B, @Ranai, @Komorikiri, @HIKARU, @You3, @FILIP, @Saiya, @Nojinko, @OCEAN, and more. We played for three straight days, only taking breaks to go out to eat and sleep. The first to ten matches were insane, but unfortunately no one came close to Kirihara.

Komorikiri lost with Cloud to ZeRo's Diddy Kong 10-3 and lost with Sonic 10-6. Ranai lost to ZeRo 10-5 but every match nearly went to time and it was last hit last stock almost every single game. When you watch players at this high of a level play against each other in such a long set you start to see the nuances of the match up very clearly. I think the sole difference between winning and losing between ZeRo and Ranai is Diddy has many more kill confirms and can close out stocks much more easily than Villager can. I could watch ZeRo and Ranai play Smash 4 for hours and never get bored of it. It is truly the most enjoyable match up to watch I have seen so far.


@ZeRo and @Komorikiri play through Classic Mode together after a long three days of EVO preparation.

It was after midnight of ZeRo's last night in Japan and he asked Komorikiri if he would run through Classic mode with him because everyone was too exhausted to train any more for EVO. This is the part that got to me the most. Everyone always gets to see these players in their serious tournament mode and rarely get to see them outside of that. We had an absolute blast getting to know the real ZeRo, and watching two of the best Smashers in the world run through Classic mode with smiles on their faces was one of the most memorable moments of my Smash career.

As we were packing everything up on his last night in Japan, ZeRo was able to reflect on his training in a short interview with me.

---
Vayseth: So now that you have trained here for an entire week, who do you think is better, the US or Japan?

ZeRo: Everyone in Japan is way better than the average player in America. If we had a Top 10 crew battle between Japan and the US, the US would probably come out on top but the average level is way higher.

Vayseth: I definitely agree and have been telling every one that since I arrived. Is there anything else about the Japanese Smash Community that you noticed?

ZeRo: I love the way people can just get together at people's houses and play smash. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was blown away by the amount of people who came out to play me. The hospitality was unbelievable and I have never been treated with more respect in my entire Smash career.

Vayseth: That is the way it is here in Japan and everyone will be ecstatic to hear that. Would you consider coming back to Japan to train again for other majors?

ZeRo: I definitely want to come back. I want to train here more often and hopefully with more top players next time. This boot camp helped me in a bunch of ways. I was able to test my skill against extremely good players with various characters. We don't really have these kinds of practice sessions in America. This trip allowed me to realize I should be more confident than I am and showed me many holes in my own game play. Overall, this was a very, very good experience.

Vayseth: Well you came here to prepare for EVO. Do you feel like you can take the title again this year?

ZeRo: EVO, win or lose, I just want to do my best. Everything has not been perfect with my injury and everything, but I did everything I could to prepare for EVO. I hope my result demonstrates the amount of work I put in.

---

I am glad this all came together in time for EVO. ZeRo left Japan only a few short days before EVO so we cut it really close. We were able to facilitate an amazing collaboration between ZeRo and everyone in Japan, and I hope many more top players will make their way over here in the future. Due to the Japanese community being unable to give out prize money or raise enough money to fly out top talent, it is very difficult to get players here more than a few times a year. I am working very hard at trying to bring Japanese players to the US and I also want to give back to the Japanese community by bringing more players here. If you are interested please let me know!

Sayonara until next week.


Zero's last night at the 9B Smash House (left to right): @9B, @FILIP, @ZeRo, @You3, @Komorikiri
 
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Comments

When I heard someone mention ZeRo going to Japan to train during top 8 at EVO I was like "WTF? When did this happen?" This is a good read.
 
Lol I wonder if Kame dipped out on purpose just so Zero couldn't get the download on him. This may be reason why he beat Zero at EVO lol.

And Aba also mentioned Kirihara would win EVO in his own opinion and this was probably due to the trouble that he gave Zero. However, Hyuga convincingly beat Kiri at EVO.
 
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Holy crap, that's a lot of Smash. I've always imagined vacationing specifically for Smash but I always get exhausted after a single day of playing. Zero has to be super tuckered out, but I can't believe the amount of playing he went through. Smashers work hard!
 
Vayseth's Voyage is an article series written by The Big House Wii U Head TO Vayseth straight from Japan. Every week, he will be bringing you articles on various topics regarding the Japanese Smash Community. Bringing Smash Communities around the world closer and closer together with every article!

Previous Articles:
Vayseth's Voyage: Japan's Top 3 Wii U Tournament Series
Vayseth's Voyage: KARISUMA 6 Results and Review
Vayseth's Voyage: SUMABATO 9 Results and Review
Vayseth's Voyage: Japanese Game Bars
Vayseth's Voyage: KVOxTSB 2016 Review and Results

Vayseth's Voyage: Japan's Love of Team Tournaments
Vayseth's Voyage: Vayseth Visits Umebura 23
Vayseth's Voyage: Japan's Lack of Consistency
Vayseth's Voyage: The Struggling Japanese Melee Community
Vayseth's Voyage: Interview with Double A Battery
Vayseth's Voyage: Komorikiri's Resurgence
Vayseth's Voyage: Making a Difference



@ZeRo tries some Japanese BBQ (Yakiniku) with the Kansai Smash 4 Community.

At Umebura 23 I was asked if I could help with getting as many top names from outside of Japan to this August's Umebura S.A.T. (Second Anniversary Tournament). When I contacted @ZeRo about the tournament he surprised me by saying that he wanted to go to Japan, but he wanted to do it as soon as possible to train for EVO. He wanted to spend three days playing against the best in Eastern Japan (Kanto) and three days playing against the best in Western Japan (Kansai) and it had to be kept under wraps until after EVO had concluded. I immediately got to work with @Ayuha and we were able to give ZeRo the intense one week Smash 4 boot camp he asked for.

ZeRo began his training in Kanto where he stayed with @Nietono for three days. There he was able to meet and play against all of the best players in Kanto who could make it out to see him. Players such as @Raito, @KEPT, @Rain, @YOC, @KEN, @Umeki, @Keron, and the player he said he had the most trouble with, @Kirihara. ZeRo tried to do as many first to 10s against Japan's best and Kirihara was the only one to take one from ZeRo. ZeRo lost 10-5 with Cloud against Kirihara's Rosalina, but ZeRo was able to take it back 10-8 with his Diddy Kong. ZeRo told me every single match was down to the last hit and it was one of the most difficult sets he has ever had to do. Unfortunately, @Kameme was unable to meet up with ZeRo as he had prior work obligations and ZeRo was only in Kanto during the week. He would spend the weekend in Kansai at the 9B Smash House.

9B and myself went out to pick ZeRo up from the shinkansen (bullet train) station in Osaka and we immediately started asking him about how he did against everyone in Tokyo. "I came out very positive overall in every friendly I played, but Kirihara was so good I am almost convinced Rosalina is the best character in the game," ZeRo told us during the drive back from the train station. We had a lot of work to do if we were going to live up to Kanto's standards and so we rounded up every single player we could think of: @9B, @Ranai, @Komorikiri, @HIKARU, @You3, @FILIP, @Saiya, @Nojinko, @OCEAN, and more. We played for three straight days, only taking breaks to go out to eat and sleep. The first to ten matches were insane, but unfortunately no one came close to Kirihara.

Komorikiri lost with Cloud to ZeRo's Diddy Kong 10-3 and lost with Sonic 10-6. Ranai lost to ZeRo 10-5 but every match nearly went to time and it was last hit last stock almost every single game. When you watch players at this high of a level play against each other in such a long set you start to see the nuances of the match up very clearly. I think the sole difference between winning and losing between ZeRo and Ranai is Diddy has many more kill confirms and can close out stocks much more easily than Villager can. I could watch ZeRo and Ranai play Smash 4 for hours and never get bored of it. It is truly the most enjoyable match up to watch I have seen so far.


@ZeRo and @Komorikiri play through Classic Mode together after a long three days of EVO preparation.

It was after midnight of ZeRo's last night in Japan and he asked Komorikiri if he would run through Classic mode with him because everyone was too exhausted to train any more for EVO. This is the part that got to me the most. Everyone always gets to see these players in their serious tournament mode and rarely get to see them outside of that. We had an absolute blast getting to know the real ZeRo, and watching two of the best Smashers in the world run through Classic mode with smiles on their faces was one of the most memorable moments of my Smash career.

As we were packing everything up on his last night in Japan, ZeRo was able to reflect on his training in a short interview with me.

---
Vayseth: So now that you have trained here for an entire week, who do you think is better, the US or Japan?

ZeRo: Everyone in Japan is way better than the average player in America. If we had a Top 10 crew battle between Japan and the US, the US would probably come out on top but the average level is way higher.

Vayseth: I definitely agree and have been telling every one that since I arrived. Is there anything else about the Japanese Smash Community that you noticed?

ZeRo: I love the way people can just get together at people's houses and play smash. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was blown away by the amount of people who came out to play me. The hospitality was unbelievable and I have never been treated with more respect in my entire Smash career.

Vayseth: That is the way it is here in Japan and everyone will be ecstatic to hear that. Would you consider coming back to Japan to train again for other majors?

ZeRo: I definitely want to come back. I want to train here more often and hopefully with more top players next time. This boot camp helped me in a bunch of ways. I was able to test my skill against extremely good players with various characters. We don't really have these kinds of practice sessions in America. This trip allowed me to realize I should be more confident than I am and showed me many holes in my own game play. Overall, this was a very, very good experience.

Vayseth: Well you came here to prepare for EVO. Do you feel like you can take the title again this year?

ZeRo: EVO, win or lose, I just want to do my best. Everything has not been perfect with my injury and everything, but I did everything I could to prepare for EVO. I hope my result demonstrates the amount of work I put in.

---

I am glad this all came together in time for EVO. ZeRo left Japan only a few short days before EVO so we cut it really close. We were able to facilitate an amazing collaboration between ZeRo and everyone in Japan, and I hope many more top players will make their way over here in the future. Due to the Japanese community being unable to give out prize money or raise enough money to fly out top talent, it is very difficult to get players here more than a few times a year. I am working very hard at trying to bring Japanese players to the US and I also want to give back to the Japanese community by bringing more players here. If you are interested please let me know!

Sayonara until next week.


Zero's last night at the 9B Smash House (left to right): @9B, @FILIP, @ZeRo, @You3, @Komorikiri
can I go to the bot camp tommorow
 
This is slightly off topic, but I think ZeRo not winning EVO shows not necessarily that he's getting worse, but that everyone else is getting better.

Let me draw an analogy with something else I do, Rubik's Cube solving. At the age of 13, Feliks Zemdegs went to his first competition in 2009. He won six of the nine events, and set ten Oceanian records. Since then, he's set countless world records. He broke his own record for the 3x3 cube seven times in a row. But now, he has a ton of competition. We have Mats Valk, Collin Burns, Lucas Etter, and Keaton Ellis beating his 3x3 record, Sebastian Weyer competing with him at 4x4, and Kevin Hays going back and forth with him as far as world records go in 5x5 through 7x7. However, people still think Feliks is one of the best speedsolvers, if not still the best. He's still the back-to-back world champion.

Similarly, ZeRo hasn't done as well in tournaments, but I think one of the reasons why is because his competition is practicing harder than ever. Sure, he had the finger injury, and sure, he took a long break, but I don't think those are the only factors. ZeRo was the best at the beginning, but people are slowly but surely catching up to him. It had to happen at some point. He did only get 3rd at EVO, but considering there were over 2,500 entrants, that's a VERY respectable position, no matter who you are. He said that even if he didn't win, he just wanted to do his best. I don't necessarily think his best wasn't as good as before, but other people's (namely Ally and Kamemushi) bests have gotten even better.

Now feel free to tell me how stupid this post I made is. Heck, I wouldn't care if it was deleted. Just wanted to get a thought or two out there.
 
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Sounds like a great experience for everyone! I'm glad it helped Zero out in Evo. Even though he didn't get first he placed better than his recent tournaments.
 
insert post here
That is absolutely correct. While his results haven't been nearly as dominant lately I think any TO would be out of their mind to seed ZeRo less than #1. After SSC, Shine, TBH6, and any other 2016 majors that may need to be reevaluated if trends continue.
 
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