TSM ZeRo
Banned via Administration
Welcome everyone to ZeRo's 8th Pro Player Spotlight! I am here with the best ROB player in the United States of America; ChiboSempai!
ZeRo:Chibo "Ma Mans" Sempai, how are you doing today?
ChiboSempai:This nickname is not an officially recognized nickname of ChiboSempai, but I guess it works! I am doing great! How are you doing vVv Zero, I'm waiting for you to come back to the US.
ZeRo:Awesome to hear, and hey! I am not in vVv anymore!
ChiboSempai:I know you're not in vVv anymore, it was just a joke!
ZeRo:Of course I know, it was just a mindgame! Anyway, Chibo, you're known for being an excellent doubles player, recently placing 2nd at Impact, beating Anti and Fatal in WF's. Tell us, why are you so good at doubles?
ChiboSempai:Asking why I'm so good at doubles is a very broad question! I personally feel that I am very underrated in general, even after many accomplishments it can be tough to find a teammate at times. Fortunately however I'm continuing to prove it more and more, and I hope to be able to team with Salem more - we are at Collision V this weekend.
I suppose I just have a very good grasp at everything that is going on the entire field at all times. Sometimes even my teammate doesn't realize that I'm ready for certain follow ups. I feel that ROB works great with how my mind works in doubles, he has great long range attacks, and has amazing frame traps up close. If my teammate has a grab from all across the stage, I can follow up with a gyro (which does a lot of damage) while I'm still fighting someone on my side.
ZeRo:I see. Smash doubles can be pretty hectic, especially at pro level, where it's even hard for the pros themselves to keep tabs on what's happening at al times, so being able to know what's happening is certainly a great advantage. Do you feel underrated in the Smash scene?
ChiboSempai:I don't think it's only me, but also my character. ROB is only mid tier normally, and so many people put such a high emphasis on needing to team with top characters like Meta Knight, Wario, GaW, etc. In singles I haven't been too hot recently, though my doubles game has been better than ever.
I originally planned on practicing with Salem prior to Impact and if it went well, asking him to team. I got busy the week prior to the tournament, and had to skip out on practicing. Because of this I asked other people to team, and got declined by probably like 3-4 people. Good thing they did though, since I ended up teaming with Salem, and got 2nd!
All of the practice we had was literally the night before the tournament, though it was great. We traveled up to Philadelphia and practiced with Kingtoon and Xzax all the way until 5am where half of us fell asleep. We dropped very few games the entire night, and were prepared. We got better throughout each bracket set too, so now that we kind of have things working I'm really looking forward to next weekend.
ZeRo:Sounds great! Would you say that you guys had good natural chemistry? Or did you guys had to build chemistry while practicing that night?
Salem
ChiboSempai:It was pretty natural I'd say. I'm not sure about him, but I definitely did my homework. When we agreed to team on All is Brawl a few days before, I started watching some videos of him from past doubles and singles to refresh my mind on how he played.
That way when we started playing, it all just kind of felt right. I've done the same for tough opponents in Singles when I had the chance, like at nationals when pools are posted in advance. Our teamwork kicked off pretty well right from the start. I knew how to use Zero armor very well (you often see me grab a piece if we start next to each other), we combo off each other's aerials very well, and I can provide him with my gyro as well for late game item play.
All this said however, it certainly isn't the first time I've had accomplishments from doubles. I've teamed with many more players besides Salem and had success.
ZeRo:Awesome stuff. It's great to see players preparing this way for event. Preparation and practice are key in order to win. What's your favorite doubles performance?
ChiboSempai:Oh so it has to be for doubles now eh? Just kidding. Even though I feel like I have gotten much better in doubles recently and Impact was probably my strongest showing yet, my favorite set definitely goes to Leon and I vs ESAM and MVD from Apex 2012. Unfortunately we didn't win the set but it was still a great close battle. The feeling of my victory in game 1 was unlike anything else for me in Smash so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIkdA0V6eag
Also shoutouts to videos of me and YoshQ vs Gnes and Razer in the losers bracket of WHOBO 4, and Salem and I vs Anti and Fatal at Impact IV Winners Finals.
ZeRo:Very well played during that set, Chibo.Now, let's move outside of the gameplay area a bit, shall we? Chibo, we all love the stream service that you bring to our tournaments. Streaming every tournament you go to in top notch quality is certainly an straining thing to do. Tell us, why you do this, and why did you started?
Chibo's streaming brand, Clash tournaments.
ChiboSempai:I've always been a fan of digital video editing and related topics. In fact, I used to make AMVs since way back in 8-9th grade. To date, I've made over 70 AMVs if I recall, though it's been a couple years since I've made one. Very few of them are on YouTube (some are though!), as many of them were made before YouTube got popular.
As I then started competitive Smash, I naturally transfered techniques of video editing to combo videos. I've made about 6 or 7 combo videos in total, though eventually started to move elsewhere. Streaming was my next big movement in digital video. Many probably don't remember, but I've been streaming Smash for a very long time, far longer than anyone else does today. Clash of the Titans 4 was streamed way back in February of 2009, and I did the same for many other tournaments around that time. They didn't have the same kind of features and finesse that streams have these days, they were usually just full screen gameplay with commentary, but it was great for the time.
Chibo streaming!
ChiboSempai:When streaming really started to hit it big in the US with websites like Twitch TV, I decided to get back into it again. I started working with streaming again a little bit in the summer of 2011 with tournaments like LIRR and CLASH 1. Then I made my formal introduction to my current stream in December where I streamed my Thursday Night CLASH FGC series, and basically every Smash tournament I went to. I paid a lot of out of pocket money to make a great stream set up, and partnered up with tournaments to stream them. I was confident in taking my years of experience of digital video and applying it to modern day streaming, and the result has been amazing.
ZeRo:Amazing history! I think that I can speak for the community here, and thank you for your efforts for making our scene a more professional one.
ChiboSempai:I definitely appreciate it!
ZeRo:What is your streaming setup?
ChiboSempai:I have two computers for streaming - one desktop and one laptop. Any large tournament within driving distance I'll use my full desktop. I originally planned on rebuilding my desktop some time in later 2012, though I instead made the jump to rebuild it back in January when I started to get big into streaming. It's a custom built i7-2600k with 16GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 560, and more. It can handle just about anything I can throw at it.
I used to rely on a pretty sub par laptop (by my standards), but finally got the resources to buy a new one last month (July 2012). It's a Dell XPS L502X (if I'm not mistaken), which houses an i7 2670QM, 8GB of RAM, and dedicated graphics. It definitely gets the job done, and is fortunately compatible with my capture card, which is a Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle USB 3.0.
ZeRo:Sounds like a great setup. I'm glad that you're upgrading, and improving your resources to bring us a better service. What advice would you give to newcomers who would like to get into streaming?
ChiboSempai:The best way to get a great initial viewership is good consistent content. Make sure your product looks good, as even with sub par hardware you can still make things look nice. Make sure you avoid technical issues like microphone hissing, and interlaced video. Read lots of guides and tutorials, get it all working right, then stream good content consistently.
ZeRo:Very good advice. Thanks for your input. Moving back to Brawl. Chibo, Apex is is getting closer. How are you preparing for that event? You're not only going to play in it, but also stream it.
Chibo & Vinnie at Apex 2012.
ChiboSempai:Actually playing in it isn't guaranteed yet! Streaming right now is my top priority, as I am confirmed to be one of the three streams featured at Apex. Originally I had planned on not entering, but since during tournament hours I'll only be streaming, I should be able to hire a stream helper to cover the station when I need to get food, go to the bathroom, or uh... play some tournament matches
. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't miss the competition, and especially after placing in the money at both WHOBO and Impact for doubles, I feel like not playing in Apex would be missing a huge opportunity. I got to play on the main stage at Apex 2012 three times, and they were some of the best moments of my entire Smash career.
ZeRo:Hopefully you can sort out things, and do both things my friend. Where can we follow your content Chibo?
ChiboSempai:My content is split up into two separate parts - my own personal content and then CLASH Tournaments. You can find me on Facebook and check out my Twitter @ChiboSempai. It isn't quite as active as my CLASH Tournaments related content, though I still use it. For streaming and video related content you can find it on Facebook at facebook.com/clashtournaments, Twitter @CLASHTournament, youtube.com/clashtournaments, and twitch.tv/chibosempai.
ZeRo:Sweet! Make sure to follow Chibo's media to stay updated with all the action that he's gonna stream/record. Speaking about that, what is your streaming schedule for the upcoming months?
ChiboSempai:This weekend I will be streaming Collision V in NY, which is both Brawl and Melee! After that the only huge Smash events I have planned are Youmacon 2012 in November and Apex 2013 in January. I'm sure I'll be streaming many other smaller events, such as RJ's new Rescue series and Uprise tournaments. I'll also be streaming my Thursday Night CLASH series consistently from now throughout the rest of the year.
Apex 2013, make sure to attend it! It's going to be an incredible event, just like Apex 2012!
ZeRo:Nice! I'll be sure to tune in to see how my competition is performing. Now, to wrap this up Chibo, any shoutouts you want to give?
ChiboSempai:I want to give shoutouts to all of the successful tournament organizers out there that help our community grow and progress. They provide a home for solid competition and an outlet for me to continue my streaming. Shoutouts to all of my stream fans! Shoutouts to Dill, who has been doing really great in singles lately, better than me for sure, haha. Shoutouts to the Philadelphia Brawl scene, my past teammates (Rouge Pit!), and everyone awesome. I wish I could list like 40 people here, but I'll spare you that Zero.
And of course, crazy special props shoutouts to you Zero! You're a great person to have around, and your drive for competition is unmatched. Can't wait to see you again at Apex 2013!
ZeRo:Very respectable of you to recognize a fellow ROB player's success. Oh, stop it you! You make me blush! Any additional thoughts you want to add before we wrap this up?
ChiboSempai:I want to continue to be as successful as I can be in everything I do, especially Smash related. Some people may say that is lame, but I love competitive gaming, and Smash is by far my favorite competitive game. I want to continue to be an organizational part of successful events, help revolutionize Smash streaming, prove my skill, and much more. From the smallest things like driving some players around town to Smashfests to practice all the way up to jumping out of my chair after scoring huge wins at a national tournament. I love it all and can't wait for it to continue.
ZeRo:Awesome! Thanks for allowing me to interview you, and thanks to everyone for reading!
ChiboSempai:Thanks for having me! I love your interviews, and was glad to be a part of them. Looking forward to the next ones.
ZeRo:Chibo "Ma Mans" Sempai, how are you doing today?
ChiboSempai:This nickname is not an officially recognized nickname of ChiboSempai, but I guess it works! I am doing great! How are you doing vVv Zero, I'm waiting for you to come back to the US.
ZeRo:Awesome to hear, and hey! I am not in vVv anymore!
ChiboSempai:I know you're not in vVv anymore, it was just a joke!
ZeRo:Of course I know, it was just a mindgame! Anyway, Chibo, you're known for being an excellent doubles player, recently placing 2nd at Impact, beating Anti and Fatal in WF's. Tell us, why are you so good at doubles?
ChiboSempai:Asking why I'm so good at doubles is a very broad question! I personally feel that I am very underrated in general, even after many accomplishments it can be tough to find a teammate at times. Fortunately however I'm continuing to prove it more and more, and I hope to be able to team with Salem more - we are at Collision V this weekend.
I suppose I just have a very good grasp at everything that is going on the entire field at all times. Sometimes even my teammate doesn't realize that I'm ready for certain follow ups. I feel that ROB works great with how my mind works in doubles, he has great long range attacks, and has amazing frame traps up close. If my teammate has a grab from all across the stage, I can follow up with a gyro (which does a lot of damage) while I'm still fighting someone on my side.
ZeRo:I see. Smash doubles can be pretty hectic, especially at pro level, where it's even hard for the pros themselves to keep tabs on what's happening at al times, so being able to know what's happening is certainly a great advantage. Do you feel underrated in the Smash scene?
ChiboSempai:I don't think it's only me, but also my character. ROB is only mid tier normally, and so many people put such a high emphasis on needing to team with top characters like Meta Knight, Wario, GaW, etc. In singles I haven't been too hot recently, though my doubles game has been better than ever.
I originally planned on practicing with Salem prior to Impact and if it went well, asking him to team. I got busy the week prior to the tournament, and had to skip out on practicing. Because of this I asked other people to team, and got declined by probably like 3-4 people. Good thing they did though, since I ended up teaming with Salem, and got 2nd!
All of the practice we had was literally the night before the tournament, though it was great. We traveled up to Philadelphia and practiced with Kingtoon and Xzax all the way until 5am where half of us fell asleep. We dropped very few games the entire night, and were prepared. We got better throughout each bracket set too, so now that we kind of have things working I'm really looking forward to next weekend.
ZeRo:Sounds great! Would you say that you guys had good natural chemistry? Or did you guys had to build chemistry while practicing that night?
Salem
ChiboSempai:It was pretty natural I'd say. I'm not sure about him, but I definitely did my homework. When we agreed to team on All is Brawl a few days before, I started watching some videos of him from past doubles and singles to refresh my mind on how he played.
That way when we started playing, it all just kind of felt right. I've done the same for tough opponents in Singles when I had the chance, like at nationals when pools are posted in advance. Our teamwork kicked off pretty well right from the start. I knew how to use Zero armor very well (you often see me grab a piece if we start next to each other), we combo off each other's aerials very well, and I can provide him with my gyro as well for late game item play.
All this said however, it certainly isn't the first time I've had accomplishments from doubles. I've teamed with many more players besides Salem and had success.
ZeRo:Awesome stuff. It's great to see players preparing this way for event. Preparation and practice are key in order to win. What's your favorite doubles performance?
ChiboSempai:Oh so it has to be for doubles now eh? Just kidding. Even though I feel like I have gotten much better in doubles recently and Impact was probably my strongest showing yet, my favorite set definitely goes to Leon and I vs ESAM and MVD from Apex 2012. Unfortunately we didn't win the set but it was still a great close battle. The feeling of my victory in game 1 was unlike anything else for me in Smash so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIkdA0V6eag
Also shoutouts to videos of me and YoshQ vs Gnes and Razer in the losers bracket of WHOBO 4, and Salem and I vs Anti and Fatal at Impact IV Winners Finals.
ZeRo:Very well played during that set, Chibo.Now, let's move outside of the gameplay area a bit, shall we? Chibo, we all love the stream service that you bring to our tournaments. Streaming every tournament you go to in top notch quality is certainly an straining thing to do. Tell us, why you do this, and why did you started?
Chibo's streaming brand, Clash tournaments.
ChiboSempai:I've always been a fan of digital video editing and related topics. In fact, I used to make AMVs since way back in 8-9th grade. To date, I've made over 70 AMVs if I recall, though it's been a couple years since I've made one. Very few of them are on YouTube (some are though!), as many of them were made before YouTube got popular.
As I then started competitive Smash, I naturally transfered techniques of video editing to combo videos. I've made about 6 or 7 combo videos in total, though eventually started to move elsewhere. Streaming was my next big movement in digital video. Many probably don't remember, but I've been streaming Smash for a very long time, far longer than anyone else does today. Clash of the Titans 4 was streamed way back in February of 2009, and I did the same for many other tournaments around that time. They didn't have the same kind of features and finesse that streams have these days, they were usually just full screen gameplay with commentary, but it was great for the time.
Chibo streaming!
ChiboSempai:When streaming really started to hit it big in the US with websites like Twitch TV, I decided to get back into it again. I started working with streaming again a little bit in the summer of 2011 with tournaments like LIRR and CLASH 1. Then I made my formal introduction to my current stream in December where I streamed my Thursday Night CLASH FGC series, and basically every Smash tournament I went to. I paid a lot of out of pocket money to make a great stream set up, and partnered up with tournaments to stream them. I was confident in taking my years of experience of digital video and applying it to modern day streaming, and the result has been amazing.
ZeRo:Amazing history! I think that I can speak for the community here, and thank you for your efforts for making our scene a more professional one.
ChiboSempai:I definitely appreciate it!
ZeRo:What is your streaming setup?
ChiboSempai:I have two computers for streaming - one desktop and one laptop. Any large tournament within driving distance I'll use my full desktop. I originally planned on rebuilding my desktop some time in later 2012, though I instead made the jump to rebuild it back in January when I started to get big into streaming. It's a custom built i7-2600k with 16GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 560, and more. It can handle just about anything I can throw at it.
I used to rely on a pretty sub par laptop (by my standards), but finally got the resources to buy a new one last month (July 2012). It's a Dell XPS L502X (if I'm not mistaken), which houses an i7 2670QM, 8GB of RAM, and dedicated graphics. It definitely gets the job done, and is fortunately compatible with my capture card, which is a Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle USB 3.0.
ZeRo:Sounds like a great setup. I'm glad that you're upgrading, and improving your resources to bring us a better service. What advice would you give to newcomers who would like to get into streaming?
ChiboSempai:The best way to get a great initial viewership is good consistent content. Make sure your product looks good, as even with sub par hardware you can still make things look nice. Make sure you avoid technical issues like microphone hissing, and interlaced video. Read lots of guides and tutorials, get it all working right, then stream good content consistently.
ZeRo:Very good advice. Thanks for your input. Moving back to Brawl. Chibo, Apex is is getting closer. How are you preparing for that event? You're not only going to play in it, but also stream it.
Chibo & Vinnie at Apex 2012.
ChiboSempai:Actually playing in it isn't guaranteed yet! Streaming right now is my top priority, as I am confirmed to be one of the three streams featured at Apex. Originally I had planned on not entering, but since during tournament hours I'll only be streaming, I should be able to hire a stream helper to cover the station when I need to get food, go to the bathroom, or uh... play some tournament matches
. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't miss the competition, and especially after placing in the money at both WHOBO and Impact for doubles, I feel like not playing in Apex would be missing a huge opportunity. I got to play on the main stage at Apex 2012 three times, and they were some of the best moments of my entire Smash career.ZeRo:Hopefully you can sort out things, and do both things my friend. Where can we follow your content Chibo?
ChiboSempai:My content is split up into two separate parts - my own personal content and then CLASH Tournaments. You can find me on Facebook and check out my Twitter @ChiboSempai. It isn't quite as active as my CLASH Tournaments related content, though I still use it. For streaming and video related content you can find it on Facebook at facebook.com/clashtournaments, Twitter @CLASHTournament, youtube.com/clashtournaments, and twitch.tv/chibosempai.
ZeRo:Sweet! Make sure to follow Chibo's media to stay updated with all the action that he's gonna stream/record. Speaking about that, what is your streaming schedule for the upcoming months?
ChiboSempai:This weekend I will be streaming Collision V in NY, which is both Brawl and Melee! After that the only huge Smash events I have planned are Youmacon 2012 in November and Apex 2013 in January. I'm sure I'll be streaming many other smaller events, such as RJ's new Rescue series and Uprise tournaments. I'll also be streaming my Thursday Night CLASH series consistently from now throughout the rest of the year.
Apex 2013, make sure to attend it! It's going to be an incredible event, just like Apex 2012!
ZeRo:Nice! I'll be sure to tune in to see how my competition is performing. Now, to wrap this up Chibo, any shoutouts you want to give?
ChiboSempai:I want to give shoutouts to all of the successful tournament organizers out there that help our community grow and progress. They provide a home for solid competition and an outlet for me to continue my streaming. Shoutouts to all of my stream fans! Shoutouts to Dill, who has been doing really great in singles lately, better than me for sure, haha. Shoutouts to the Philadelphia Brawl scene, my past teammates (Rouge Pit!), and everyone awesome. I wish I could list like 40 people here, but I'll spare you that Zero.
And of course, crazy special props shoutouts to you Zero! You're a great person to have around, and your drive for competition is unmatched. Can't wait to see you again at Apex 2013!
ZeRo:Very respectable of you to recognize a fellow ROB player's success. Oh, stop it you! You make me blush! Any additional thoughts you want to add before we wrap this up?
ChiboSempai:I want to continue to be as successful as I can be in everything I do, especially Smash related. Some people may say that is lame, but I love competitive gaming, and Smash is by far my favorite competitive game. I want to continue to be an organizational part of successful events, help revolutionize Smash streaming, prove my skill, and much more. From the smallest things like driving some players around town to Smashfests to practice all the way up to jumping out of my chair after scoring huge wins at a national tournament. I love it all and can't wait for it to continue.
ZeRo:Awesome! Thanks for allowing me to interview you, and thanks to everyone for reading!
ChiboSempai:Thanks for having me! I love your interviews, and was glad to be a part of them. Looking forward to the next ones.
