Hi guys!
In lieu of an official Power Ranking update before E2C15, the Power Ranking team has decided to do things a little differently this time. Here we have the projected top 10 of our PR Rankings as of right now, as well as some profiles on these players we’ve come to know and love. In addition, we added some profiles for some rising players to watch out for, as we think they may make some noise in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to tune in to E2C15 to see how these players fare against some of the best competition the Midwest has to offer!
THE TOP TEN (LIKELY FINAL AKIRO EDITION):
Akiro (1st E2C14, 7th Dismantle): After a dominant run in the Chicago scene from February to May, Akiro finally showed some weakness in the past several large Chicago events. His local nemesis appears to be BoScotty, who has now taken a Bo3 and a Bo5 off of Akiro in the past two months at E2C14 and Dismantle with two different characters. In addition, Akiro lost in losers bracket for the first time in months at the hands of Keitaro’s Mii Brawler at Dismantle, earning him a disappointing 7th place finish. He continues to dominate every weekly he attends, endlessly comboing people to the blast zone with his Sheik or styling on them with one of his many secondaries. Now may be the most vulnerability we’ve seen out of Akiro, but we know his solid play and quick adaptation are always a threat.
Note: This will likely be Akiro’s last placement on the Illinois PR due to his moving to Wisconsin for work. The next update to these rankings will prove to be quite interesting with his absence, and we wish him luck taking out the big, daunting threats on the Wisconsin PR (LOL).
Freebeast (3rd Dismantle, 13th Smash’N’Splash): Freebeast was the Chicago rep who most aptly defended our home turf at Dismantle. His 1-2 loss vs Dabuz was the most hype set of the tournament, and he was able to slay Keitaro 2-0 before falling to False in loser’s finals. He continues to add characters to his arsenal, and each time he labs with a character it shows in the options he chooses with his main, Olimar. Freebeast’s playstyle continues to be the most malleable in our scene, and that adaptability combined with impeccable spacing and defense continues to make noise at our highest level. He has shown a weakness to hyper-aggression lately, however, with notable losses coming from the hands of Demitus at Smash’N’Splash in loser’s bracket, as well as to XYZ in loser’s finals at a recent Thursday weekly (not to mention his continued allergic reaction to Akiro). For his play to continue to rise he needs to shore up any holes in his defense these players have found.
It is worth noting that on the subject of doubles, no team has even come close to touching Freebeast and BoScotty’s level of performance. Claiming victims such as Keitaro and False at Dismantle, and adding to that Plup and Wizzrobe at Smash’N’Smash, this team continues to develop into the top doubles pair in the Midwest, if not one of the best in the nation.
BoScotty (2nd E2C14, 13th Combo Breaker, 4th Dismantle, 33rd Smash’N’Splash): BoScotty’s Smash 4 singles legacy, other than changing characters every week, can be defined as the thorn in Akiro’s side. No one in the Chicago scene has taken as many sets off the de facto #1 since pre-patch JJROCKETS. His victory in Winner’s Finals vs Akiro at E2C14 was his first set loss since Bo beat him at Expose U in February, and he followed that up with another upset victory over him at Dismantle. He has played the most impressive games against Akiro out of anyone in Chicago, and that alone is worth merit. Bo’s biggest weakness however is his mindset, and that has led to many of the top 10 below him taking games and sets off of him in the past. If he can lock up his multi-main singles strategy, work on that consistency of mindset, and finally slay the Freebeast that lurks above him (their meeting at Dismantle was their first in months, but the record lies firmly in Freebeast’s corner), BoScotty can certainly elevate his play and take the vacated spot that Akiro leaves behind.
Shel (9th Dismantle, 4th Smash’N’Splash): Shel is riding the most momentum coming into this latest update to the PR, as his performance at Smash’N’Splash was simply a sight to behold. A 2-0 drubbing of Mew2King, one of the most prolific Smash players in the world, will do that for you. At the same time, in his games vs Wizzrobe and Ally the founding member of #luigination looked a little lost. His habits were a little exposed in those series, so the next step for Chicago’s last stand is to eliminate those habits and vary his offense. Shel does sport an impressive record against the top 10, including a winning record vs. Akiro (although they haven’t played in a while), yet he is also stricken with Bo’s case of Freebeastitis. That’s a disease he will have to cure before claiming the top spot.
He has proven that the Midwest is certainly not the free state that Mew2King claimed it was back in November when he stomped us at E2C10. But is that enough momentum to Luigi Tornado his way to the top of the PR? Only time will tell.
JJROCKETS (3rd E2C14, 4th Combo Breaker, 7th Rebirth IV, 9th Dismantle, 9th Smash’N’Splash): The most prolific traveler of Chicago’s top 5, JJROCKETS has been an ambassador of our scene to many different regions in the past few months. He led the charge to Michigan for Rebirth IV and made top 8 in a region much tougher than our own, which is a feat in and of itself. However, if you asked him now I’m sure he’d say he’s disappointed with his recent results. Missing top 8 at both Dismantle and Smash’N’Splash is a letdown I’m sure, as well as the bodying he received at the hands of Akiro at E2C14, a player he used to go toe-to-toe with regularly using pre-patch Diddy. To add insult to injury the most recent patch has Diddy mains reeling even more, so much so that a character switch is rumored to be in the works. The position of underdog is a new one for JJ, and I’m curious to see how the Baron of Birds Up responds to these challenges at E2C15 and in the near future.
GGA.NiTe (9th E2C14, 3rd Combo Breaker, 7th Dismantle, 7th Smash’N’Splash): GGA.NiTe is the fastest rising player outside of the top five in our scene right now. Coming off of some impressive top 8 finishes at stacked tournaments, as well as a crazy winner’s side run at Combo Breaker, NiTe is riding a lot of momentum this past month. In addition he has had ample experience versus some of the highest levels of competition during these big tourney runs, including games versus ZeRo, Ally and Mister Eric. All of the Rosalina players from Chicago benefitted greatly from Dabuz’s presence at Dismantle and NiTe seems to be riding that wave to every top 8 he can reach. Interesting to note that he recently beat JJROCKETS to get to top 8 at Smash’N’Splash, a pretty big upset that could help propel NiTe over him and into the top 5 in a future update.
Demitus (4th E2C14, 17th Dismantle, 9th Smash’N’Splash): Demitus is part of the young blood of the Chicago Smash 4 scene, having only started competing in January. However he started with a bang, taking 1st at a stacked GGA tournament where nobody knew who he was. Since then his accomplishments continue to compile, taking games off of great players and making splashes wherever he goes with his stylish Captain Falcon. Victims of the Demitus Touch include BoScotty, NiTe, JTWild, and most recently Freebeast. He, like NiTe, has also had the opportunity to play top level players in his recent brackets, including Dabuz and Mew2King. These matches versus some of the best in the nation showed that Demitus needs to hone his offense versus higher level players, and that while his aggression can certainly be overwhelming, adaptation is needed when he meets a player with superb defense. Hopefully all of the pieces come together this weekend for another monster run at the final bracket like E2C14.
Gamerhead22 (7th E2C14, 17th Dismantle): Gamerhead has been quiet in the scene lately. There are rumors of a hiatus from the game swirling around the scene, and if so his Ness will be sorely missed. One of the most aggressive Ness players in the Midwest, Gamerhead pioneered a style that is so counterintuitive to the Ness meta, and it’s gotten him serious results. However, his last top 8 appearance was at E2C14, which is quite a long time ago, and as the saying goes, “What have you done for me lately?” Gamer has the opportunity to learn from Nakat this weekend, one of the premier Ness mains in the US, and I hope he leaps at the opportunity. The influx of top players visiting the Chicago community has done wonders for those who share mains and can trade battle strategies, so imagine what Gamerhead can do with even more options at his disposal thanks to the LoF founder.
JTWild (5th E2C14, 9th Dismantle): In as competitive a Mario meta as Chicago is, JTWild continues to be at the forefront of solo Mario mains. He, like Gamerhead, hasn’t made it out to tournaments as much as some other members of this list, but every time he does he makes a big impact. He made False sweat in the auction event finals at Dismantle, as well as probably playing the second best games of any Chicagoan against Akiro in recent memory at E2C14. The best part is we’ve seen his evolution as a player since his debut in the scene as well. A formerly highly aggressive player that frequented GGAs, we’ve seen him develop his spacing game as well as his bait and punish game over the months. If he takes that to the next level (as well as taking an opportunity to learn from Ally’s monstrous Mario this weekend), the top of this list should be very scared.
Dan (7th E2C14, 33rd Dismantle, 13th Smash’N’Splash): Dan’s style of play is quite different from that of the other high-level Marios in the Chicago scene. I would describe his style are more reactionary, waiting for more punishes on shield than trying to start offense with dair to grab or other approach options. This play style works very well against the players below him on this list, but for Dan to truly elevate his game he has to make upsets happen more regularly versus those ranked above him. His defensive style can become a bit too habitual, and top players (particularly in the Mario mirror, in this writer’s opinion) have begun to take advantage of this. With that said, Dan’s run as Smash’N’Splash is more impressive than the number next to his name indicates, taking out players such as CT Chibo, Nicole, ZStorm, and myself in his pools, as well as giving VGBC Logic a run for his money in the final bracket. Dan is another player who should benefit greatly from the counsel of Ally, and watching his Mario’s movement and the on-a-dime changes in pace of play Ally can make will hopefully ring true with Dan, as he could really use the bloodlust that some other Mario mains possess.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
E2C DN Hoenn: Constantly flirting in and out of the top 10 each update, Hoenn finds himself on the outside looking in this time, as Dan’s strong run is enough to edge him out. Hoenn is one of the most technical players in our scene who spends more time in the lab than anyone else in Chicago. However he still has some matchup holes that prove to be a thorn in his side, and it feels like his Pikachu’s potential has yet to be fully tapped. Will E2C15 be the tournament where he unleashes the Pro PikaTM?
ZStorm: The Sonic main from Illinois State University continues to present a threat in any bracket he enters. His offensive mixups are a sight to behold. One of the strongest rushdown players in the Chicago scene, your defense has to be on point to take a game off this blue blur. He has had some schedule conflicts lately with many of the big Chicago tournaments, but expect him to come back in full force later this summer and steal some wins off of potentially anyone in bracket.
Chompy: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The former Pit main peaked at about 5th place on our PR but has fallen off due to a hiatus and a character crisis. Kudos to Ricky for choosing to play the game on his own terms, but the newfound love for Charizard and Mii Swordfighter has hurt his PR standing. The buffs to both those characters will certainly aid him, however, with Charizard in particular becoming much more of a threat. No matter what character he plays in bracket, expect incredibly patient play, solid fundamentals and impeccable spacing.
E2C Sage: Someone let the commentator out of his cage for E2C15. This tournament will be the first time in a long time Sage has gotten to compete at a monthly and I am sure he’s chomping at the bit to prove himself on this stage. When he is not behind the mic with yours truly Sage is known to be a technical Rosalina player with excellent spacing. His encyclopedic knowledge of the game shows in his playstyle, where he truly has no one horrible matchup. Sage is one of the best candidates of the lower ranks to cause a top 10-level upset, so keep your eyes out for him.
YO BOI SHION: Shion continues to baffle at every event he enters. One day he will go on a tear and demolish a weekly without blinking an eye (including a bodying of this writer), the next he’ll drop two games really quickly and dip, and the one after that he’ll dip while waiting in grand finals on winner’s side. His motivations cannot truly be explained, but his read-based Falcon can catch anyone off guard. No matter which side of Shion you get on a particular day, it is certainly a sight to behold.
Shevy: On the back of a very solid offering at Dismantle and Smash’N’Splash, Shevy completes the trifecta of high-level Marios in our Chicago scene. His play style differs from both of the top 10 Marios, favoring an air-based approach and leaning on fireballs to force opponents to approach him. His Mario can get into habits but is built around a solid fundamental understanding of the game, and he is yet another benefactor of Ally’s presence in Chicago these past two weeks.
XYZ: While his recent tournament results may not be up to the standard that other higher-ranked players, you should never sleep on XYZ. He most recently won a best of five against Freebeast at a local weekly, something many top 10 players can’t even claim to have done. His combo game always has the potential to catch opponents unawares, and when his read game is on it’s a dangerous combination. The trick with him is consistency. Once he finds a way to always play at his top level, the Chicago scene will tremble.
Slowjoe: It is no understatement that Slowjoe is the most improved player in the Chicago scene. Slowjoe has come far since he picked up the game, establishing himself as the leading Fox player in Chicago and money matching any who challenge this claim. He is hungry for Fox tech, gobbling up any new options he can find and applying them to his game almost immediately. The next step for him is to shore up his fundamentals and cut his habits, but once he does expect him to be a force.
About the Author: E2C Lord Sturm is a pretty decent commentator, but is absolutely awful at playing the game. He gets beat by the players on this list, by players off this list, the whole nine yards. If you want to see him get unreasonably salty about this fact, follow him on Twitter at @lordsturm473
