Maryland/Virginia
Maryland/Virginia, abbreviated as MD/VA, is a Smash region located on the East Coast of the United States. The term includes the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia; some definitions include the states of Delaware and West Virginia (although these states both have very small Smash communities). While most of the region's activity is centered on the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area, which straddles the border between the two states, other centers of activity exist in Richmond and other parts of southern Virginia. Neighboring regions include the Tristate Area (particularly the Philadelphia metro area), North Carolina, and Pittsburgh/Northeast Ohio.
MD/VA has long been one of the busiest and most important Smash regions in the United States. As the home of Azen, ChuDat, Chillin, and more of Melee's most famous old school players, the region was considered one of the strongest in the pre-Brawl era, frequently competing with the Tristate Area and Southern California. Crews like Ha Ha You Lose, Power Underwhelming, and Team Ben hosted many large tournaments, such as Game Over and BOMB 4, that were among the most important grassroots events nationwide, helping to significantly develop the Melee tournament scene. After Brawl's release, as players like Azen became inactive in the community, MD/VA lost of much of its strength relative to the other regions, but was still famous as the home of the Pound series, one of the most important national tournament series of the era. The region's national presence further declined following the failure of Pound V and the collapse of the series. However, it regained its foothold on the national stage with the introduction of the Super Smash Con series in 2015, as well as the return of Pound and the beginning of the Glitch series in 2016; this has given MD/VA the distinction as one of the few regions with more than one supermajor per year. Maryland/Virginia also hosts Xanadu, one of the most famous weekly locals series in the nation, and is the home of VGBootCamp, the largest Smash-dedicated streaming channel. In 2023, the newly opened esports tournament venue District E began hosting The Hill, a monthly SSBU tournament series that quickly became one of DC's top monthly series. District E was also the home of Hungrybox's live Coinbox event in late 2023, Coinbox IRL.
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
Notable players[edit]
Globally ranked players[edit]
These MD/VA players were ranked on the SSBMRank 2022.
| SSBMRank | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zain  (Virginia) |
The best player in the world in 2022 |
| 11 | lloD  (Virginia) |
|
| 23 | Polish (Maryland) |
Currently resides in Pennsylvania. |
| 34 | bobby big ballz  (Maryland) |
Currently resides in Texas. |
| 63 | ChuDat  (Virginia) |
Known as a major innovator of Ice Climbers' metagame in Melee's early years; still considered to be one of the best Ice Climbers mains today. |
| 72 | Khryke (Maryland) |
|
| 79 | Sirmeris (West Virginia) |
|
| 92 | Kevin Maples  (Virginia) |
These MD/VA players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
- Azen (Virginia): Known as one of the most innovative Marth mains. 2nd on the RetroSSBMRank 2006.
- Cool Lime (Virginia): 79th on the 2019 MPGR.
- DoH (District of Columbia): Known as one of the best old school Peach mains. 79th on the 2014 SSBMRank.
- Jerry
(Maryland): 55th on the 2018 MPGR. - Junebug
(Virginia): 45th on the 2018 MPGR. - Milkman (Virginia): 79th on the 2017 SSBMRank.
- MoG (Virginia): 77th on the 2019 MPGR.
- Redd (Virginia): Known as one of the best old school Fox mains. 53rd on the 2013 SSBMRank.
- Tope (Virginia): Currently resides in San Diego. 56th on the 2013 SSBMRank.
- Vist
(Maryland): 98th on the 2013 SSBMRank.
Other notable players[edit]
- Bones (Maryland)
- Husband (Maryland): Known as one of the best old school Marth mains.
- Juicebox (Virginia): Ranked 4th on the MD/VA Melee Power Rankings.
- NEO
(Maryland): Well known as the best Roy player in the world when he was active in the pre-Brawl era. - Oro
(Maryland): One of the best Samus mains in the world during Melee's early years. - Plank (Maryland): Known as the former director of the Pound series, one of the most successful national tournament series of all time.
- SypherPhoenix (Virginia): Ranked 8th on the MD/VA Melee Power Rankings.
Major tournaments hosted[edit]
A list of significant regional and national Melee events hosted in Maryland/Virginia; nationals are highlighted in bold.
| Name | Entrants | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Super Smash #1 (Maryland) | 40 | July 12th, 2003 | |
| DC Super Smash #2 (Maryland) | 42 | September 20th, 2003 | |
| BOMB 1 (Maryland) | October 25th, 2003 | ||
| Game Over (Virginia) | 85 | January 10th, 2004 | Known as a clash between the three strongest Smash regions at the time: Maryland/Virginia, Southern California, and New York. |
| BOMB 2 (Maryland) | April 17th, 2004 | ||
| DC Super Smash #3: Remember Your Roots (Maryland) | 30 | September 25th, 2004 | |
| Gettin' Schooled (Maryland) | 63 | October 14th, 2004 | |
| MLG DC 2005 (Virginia) | 97 | January 29th-30th, 2005 | |
| BOMB 3 (Maryland) | ~70 | March 9th, 2005 | |
| Gettin' Schooled 2 (Maryland) | 99 | June 25th-26th, 2005 | |
| BOMB 4 (Maryland) | 105 | November 12th, 2005 | |
| Pound (Maryland) | 55 | January 28th, 2006 | |
| Pound 2 (Maryland) | 201 | June 16th-17th, 2007 | |
| Pound 3 (Maryland) | 224 | February 2nd-3rd, 2008 | The last Melee national before the release of Brawl. |
| Pound 4 (Maryland) | 347 | January 16th-18th, 2010 | At the time, the largest Melee tournament ever. |
| Pound V (Virginia) | 243 | February 19th-21st, 2011 | The tournament generated major controversy after over $10,000 in prize money was lost; tournament director Plank was blacklisted by Smashboards, and the series' collapse led to the decline of MD/VA's presence in the national tournament scene. |
| Pound V.5 (Maryland) | 95 | November 9th, 2013 | The tournament was held on a much smaller scale than the previous Pound tournaments. |
| Super Smash Con 2015 (Virginia) | 593 | August 6th-9th, 2015 | A series-wide supermajor; unique for its inclusion of a Smash-related gaming convention, in addition to the tournament itself. |
| Pound 2016 (Virginia) | 933 | April 2nd-3rd, 2016 | Marked the return of the Pound series, after Plank had paid off the winners of Pound V. |
| Super Smash Con 2016 (Virginia) | 940 | August 11th-14th, 2016 | A series-wide supermajor. Was MD/VA's largest Melee tournament to date prior to Super Smash Con 2017. |
| Super Smash Con 2017 (Virginia) | 1,092 | August 10th-13th, 2017 | A series-wide supermajor and MD/VA's largest Melee tournament to date. |
| Xanadu - End of an Era (Maryland) | 162 | February 24th-25th, 2018 | |
| Pound Underground (Maryland) | 216 | May 12th-13th, 2018 | |
| Super Smash Con 2018 (Maryland) | 1,053 | August 9th-12th, 2018 | |
| The Script - Episode 1: "Race To The Finish" (Maryland) | 105 | October 13th-14th, 2018 | |
| The Script - Episode 2: "Hands Off My Prey" (Maryland) | 130 | February 16th-17th, 2019 | |
| Pound 2019 (Maryland) | 451 | April 19th-21st, 2019 | |
| Super Smash Con 2019 (Virginia) | 853 | August 8th-11th, 2019 | |
| Super Smash Con: Fall Fest (Virginia) | 271 | October 15th-17th, 2021 | |
| SWT: NA West Melee Regional Finals (Maryland) | 16 | October 23rd-24th, 2021 | |
| SWT: NA East Melee Regional Finals (Maryland) | 16 | October 30th-31st, 2021 |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
Notable players[edit]
Globally ranked players[edit]
These MD/VA players were ranked on CLASH Tournaments' 2014 SSBBRank.
| SSBBRank | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Seagull Joe  (Maryland) |
The best Wolf player in the world. Currently ranked 10th on the 2016-2017 SSBBRank. |
| 49 | ChuDat  (Virginia) |
The best Kirby player in the world. |
| 76 | Junebug  (Virginia) |
|
| 84 | Coney  (Maryland) |
|
| 88 | Lie  (Maryland) |
|
| 92 | NEO  (Maryland) |
|
| 97 | Pink Fresh  (Maryland) |
One of the best Lucas players in the world. |
Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]
Notable players[edit]
Globally ranked players[edit]
These MD/VA players were ranked on the Panda Global Rankings 100.
| PG ranking | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | WaDi  (Virginia) |
Currently one of the three best Mewtwo players in the world. |
| 60 | Pink Fresh   (Maryland) |
One of the best Bayonetta players in the United States. |
| 87 | Rags  (Virginia) |
One of the best Meta Knight players in the world. |
These MD/VA players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
- Seagull Joe
(Maryland): 48th on the Panda Global Rankings v1.
Other notable players[edit]
- ZD
(Maryland): One of the best Fox players in the United States.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
Notable players[edit]
Globally ranked players[edit]
These MD/VA players were ranked on the UltRank 2022 and/or the OrionRank 2022.
| UltRank | OrionRank | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 121 | Puppeh  (Virginia) |
|
| 87 | 79 | WaDi   (Virginia) |
The best Mewtwo player in the world and one of the best R.O.B. players in the early metagame. |
| 100 | 118 | enhancedpv  (Maryland) |
These MD/VA players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
- Pink Fresh
(Maryland): 85th on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse. - ZD
(Maryland): Area 51 on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
Nationally ranked players[edit]
These MD/VA players were ranked on the OrionRank 2022 North America.
| OrionRank NA | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 112 | Squidplumber  (Maryland) |
|
| 120 | Peanut  (Maryland) |
|
| 124 | Frostbyte  (Virginia) |
Currently residing in Michigan. |
| 128 | NoTag  (Virginia) |
Currently resides in South Carolina. |
| 134 | Jules   (Virginia) |
|
| 191 | AoS  (Maryland) |
Major tournaments hosted[edit]
A list of significant regional and national Ultimate events hosted in Maryland/Virginia; nationals are highlighted in bold.
| Name | Entrants | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch (Maryland) | 183 | December 8th, 2018 | First Ultimate tournament hosted at Xanadu. |
| Glitch 6 (Maryland) | 551 | January 19th-20th, 2019 | |
| Pound 2019 (Maryland) | 802 | April 19th-21st, 2019 | |
| Super Smash Con 2019 (Virginia) | 2,708 | August 8th-11th, 2019 | Largest Smash tournament ever hosted in MD/VA. |
| Glitch 7 - Minus World (Maryland) | 566 | September 14th-15th, 2019 | |
| Glitch 8 - Missingno (Maryland) | 729 | January 18th-19th, 2020 | |
| The Comeback (Maryland) | 241 | July 31st, 2021 | |
| Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code (Maryland) | 421 | September 24th-26th, 2021 | |
| SWT: NA West Ultimate Regional Finals (Maryland) | 16 | October 9th-10th, 2021 | |
| Super Smash Con: Fall Fest (Virginia) | 769 | October 15th-17th, 2021 | |
| SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals (Maryland) | 16 | November 6th-7th, 2021 |
See also[edit]
Power rankings:
Smashers:
Tournaments:
