Smasher:Salem: Difference between revisions

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(Replaced content with "{{Infobox Smasher "Smash Bros Melee isn't actually part of the Smash Bros Community because of my years of research"-Salem 12/24/18")
m (Reverted edits by 184.98.68.236 (talk) to last version by Soy.)
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{{Infobox Smasher
{{Infobox Smasher
"Smash Bros Melee isn't actually part of the Smash Bros Community because of my years of research"-Salem 12/24/18
| name            = Salem
| image          = Salem2018SSBU.jpg
| mainssbb        = Zero Suit Samus
| otherssbb      = Snake
| 2ndotherssbb    = Marth
| mainpm          = Zelda
| otherpm        = Zero Suit Samus
| mainssb4        = Bayonetta
| otherssb4      = Greninja
| 2ndotherssb4    = Samus
| moreotherssb4  = {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}, {{SSB4|Lucina}}, {{SSB4|Sheik}}, {{SSB4|Villager}}, {{SSB4|Captain Falcon}}, {{SSB4|Marth}}, {{SSB4|Robin}}
| mainssbm        = Peach
| otherssbm      = Marth
| 2ndotherssbm    = Sheik
| sponsor        = [[Team Liquid]], [[Most Valuable Gaming]]
| former sponsors = [[CLASH Tournaments]]
| skillssbm      = Semi-professional
| skillssbb      = Top professional
| skillssb4      = Top professional <small>(retired)</small>
| skillpm        = Top professional
| rankingssbb    = [[2016-2017 SSBBRank]]: 3rd
| rankingssb4    = [[Panda Global Rankings|Panda Global Rankings 100]]: 6th
| winningsssbb    = ~$4,218.90
| winningsssb4    = ~$42,371.53<!--The e-Sports Earnings payouts are inaccurate.-->
| realname        = Saleem Akiel Young
| birthday        = 1
| birthmonth      = 8
| birthyear      = 1994 
| location        = Orlando, Florida
| country        = United States
}}
'''Salem''' is an ''[[SSB4]]'' {{SSB4|Bayonetta}} player with strong {{SSB4|Greninja}} and {{SSB4|Samus}} secondaries from [[Tristate Area|Atlantic City, New Jersey]], who is currently residing in Orlando, Florida, and is widely considered the best Bayonetta player of all time as well as one of the best Bayonetta players in the world (along with {{Sm|Tweek}}, {{Sm|Mistake}}, {{Sm|CaptainZack}}, and {{Sm|Lima}}). Salem is currently ranked 6th on the [[Panda Global Rankings|Panda Global Rankings 100]]. He was formerly ranked 2nd on the [[Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings|Central Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings]] and 3rd on the [[New Jersey Power Rankings]]. Salem has taken sets off of top players such as {{Sm|ZeRo}}, {{Sm|MkLeo}}, Tweek, {{Sm|Dabuz}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, Mistake, {{Sm|Mr.R}}, {{Sm|CaptainZack}}, {{Sm|komorikiri}}, and {{Sm|VoiD}}. He is considered to be one of the best ''Smash 4'' players in the world.
 
His static partner in doubles is {{Sm|Ryuga}} and they are considered to be one of the best doubles teams in the world. The two have achieved strong results together, such as 3rd at [[UGC Smash Open]], 4th at [[Super Smash Con 2017]], and 2nd at both [[Frostbite 2017]] and [[DreamHack Atlanta 2017]]. They have taken sets off of teams such as ZeRo and Nairo, VoiD and {{Sm|NAKAT}}, {{Sm|ESAM}} and {{Sm|MVD}}, and {{Sm|Abadango}} and {{Sm|Kameme}}.
 
In ''[[SSBB]]'', Salem is a {{SSBB|Zero Suit Samus}} player, and is widely considered the best Zero Suit Samus player in the world. Salem is currently ranked 3rd on the [[2016-2017 SSBBRank]]. He was ranked 6th on the final [[Tristate Power Rankings|Tristate Brawl Power Rankings]].
 
He is the first player to double eliminate ZeRo in a set outside of Grand Finals, doing so at [[Collision XIV]]. He is also one of two players to double-eliminate ZeRo in more than one tournament, achieving this again in grand finals of [[EVO 2017]].
 
On October 8th, 2016, Salem was signed by [[Most Valuable Gaming]].<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.thescoreesports.com/smash/news/10873-mvg-sign-salem|title=MVG sign Salem}}</ref>
 
As of February 9th 2018, Salem was signed on by [[Team Liquid]].<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://twitter.com/TeamLiquid/status/961991301767073792|title=Team Liquid signs Salem}}</ref>
 
==Tournament history==
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''===
Before playing in the offline scene, he gained fame on the [[All is Brawl]] ladder as an incredible [[Wi-Fi]] player, dominating the ladder with Zero Suit Samus. He made his offline debut at [http://www.smashboards.com/threads/juice-gaming-presents-concentrate-ii-results.313154/ Concentrate II], placing 5th, where he defeated {{Sm|Nicole}}, {{Sm|Jbandrew}}, {{Sm|Will}}, and {{Sm|Kingtoon}}. He later attended [[Apex 2012]]; while only placing 33rd, he defeated {{Sm|Nick Riddle}} in bracket, then considered to be the best Zero Suit Samus player in the USA.
 
Throughout 2012, Salem continued to enter tournaments and place well in stacked tournaments within the [[NY/NJ]] region, but it wasn't until a dominating performance at [[Apex 2013]] that he had a standout performance at a major, where he unexpectedly took the tournament. On his path to victory, he defeated top players such as {{Sm|mikeHAZE}}, {{Sm|Mr. R}}, {{Sm|Otori}}, the Apex 2012 champion, {{Sm|Dojo}}, {{Sm|Mikeneko}}, and {{Sm|Mew2King}} in both Winners' and Grand Finals, the latter of which is considered to be one of the most intense sets witnessed in ''Brawl'' tournament play. In Grand Finals, the set went to a last game, last hit situation, before Salem won following an extensive war of attrition. His win stunned the community; not only had he won one of the most prestigious ''Brawl'' tournaments at the time with a character not considered [[Tier list|top tier]], but he had also never won a tournament prior to then.
 
At [[Apex 2014]], Salem advanced through his pool, defeating {{Sm|Mekos}}. He then defeated {{Sm|V115}}, before losing to {{Sm|ESAM}} in Winners'. He proceeded to defeat {{Sm|Pwii}} and {{Sm|Koolaid}}, before losing to {{Sm|ADHD}} in a close set, placing 9th overall, outplacing Nick Riddle once again.
 
===''Project M''===
Salem dabbled with [[Project M]], maining {{PM|Zelda}}. At [[Apex 2014]] he advanced to bracket, but lost to Eli right away. He then beat {{Sm|Vectorman}} before falling to {{Sm|Atomsk}} placing 33rd. At [[SKTAR 3]] he made a long Losers run beating {{Sm|Ringworm}}, {{Sm|NinjaLink}}, {{Sm|Wes}}, {{Sm|Internet Explorer}}, {{Sm|MVD}}, {{Sm|Porkchops}}, and {{Sm|Larry Lurr}}, before losing to {{Sm|ZeRo}} to place 13th.
 
==={{forwiiu}}===
At the onset of ''SSB4'''s release, Salem initially co-mained {{SSB4|Sheik}} and {{SSB4|Zero Suit Samus}}. His first major tournament was [[Apex 2015]], but he drastically underperformed, failing to advance from Pools following being DQed in Winners and losing to {{Sm|falln}} in Losers Finals of his Pool. Reversing that poor performance later, he placed 9th place at [[KTAR XII]]. At [[EVO 2015]] he made it to Top 32 Losers before losing to {{Sm|Tyrant}}, placing 25th. He'd place decently at smaller tournaments, placing 7th at [[SKTAR 4]], 2nd at [[KTAR XVII]], 9th at [[Shots Fired 2]], and 5th at [[Do or DI]] and [[KTAR XVIII]]. Upon {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}'s release in February 2016, Salem switched to maining her.
 
Salem would finally have his breakout performance in ''SSB4'' when he won [[Collision XIV]], double-eliminating ZeRo in close sets in Winners Quarters and Losers Semis, Nairo in Losers Finals, and defeating {{Sm|Tweek}} in Grand Finals. He then attended [https://smash.gg/tournament/smashadelphia-ii/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/57146 Smashadelphia II], where he defeated {{Sm|Sinji}}, {{Sm|Mr.E}}, and {{Sm|6WX}} convincingly to take the tournament. He then traveled to compete at [https://smash.gg/tournament/smash-conference-lxvii/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/70855 Smash Conference LXVII], dominantly defeating {{Sm|dyr}}, {{Sm|Fatality}}, and {{Sm|Mew2King}}. In Grand Finals Mew2King would reset the bracket, but Salem won the following set.
 
Before [[The Big House 6]], Salem entered [[Little Big House 2]], where he defeated {{Sm|Darkshad}} and {{Sm|Shogun}} to advance into bracket. In bracket, he defeated {{Sm|Kameme}}, 6WX, {{Sm|Dath}}, and {{Sm|Abadango}} in Grand Finals to win the tournament, thought to be a precursor for his performance at The Big House 6. At The Big House 6, he defeated {{Sm|MJG}} and {{Sm|Rich Brown}} to advance into Top 32. In Top 32 he fell to {{Sm|Dabuz}} in Winners. In Losers he defeated Kameme in the run-back before falling to Nairo, placing at a slightly underwhelming 9th.
 
At [https://smash.gg/tournament/smash-conference-lxviii/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/74072 Smash Conference LXVIII], Salem fell to {{Sm|Saj}} in Bayonetta dittos. He then made an extensive Losers run defeating {{Sm|Child}}, {{Sm|Rideae}}, {{Sm|LordMix}}, {{Sm|8BitMan}}, Saj  in a close rematch, and reset the bracket against {{Sm|Manny}} to win the tournament. Salem later returned to Michigan where he won [https://smash.gg/tournament/smashfield-weeklies-61/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/80875/254979 Smashfield Weeklies 61], defeating {{Sm|Ryuga}} before falling to {{Sm|Ally}} in Winners Finals, defeating Ryuga again in Losers Finals, and defeating Ally in both sets of Grand Finals. Two days later, he attended [https://smash.gg/tournament/rebirth-ix/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/70858 Rebirth IX], where he defeated {{Sm|smasher1001}} and {{Sm|LOE1}}, before falling to {{Sm|Zinoto}} in Winners Finals. He then defeated {{Sm|Rayquaza07}} in Losers Finals, reset the bracket against Zinoto, but ultimately lost in a close second set, placing 2nd.
 
Salem would next enter [[Olympus]], where he defeated 6WX to make Top 8. There, Salem defeated {{Sm|Larry Lurr}}, but then fell to {{Sm|Tweek}} in Winners Finals. In Losers Finals, Salem defeated Larry Lurr again, then dominantly took both sets of Grand Finals to take 1st. At [[KTAR XIX]], he defeated {{Sm|Gomamugitya}} to make Top 48. In Top 48, he defeated {{Sm|False}} before losing to Tweek. In Losers, he defeated Zinoto, {{Sm|WaDi}}, {{Sm|Samsora}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, and {{Sm|MKLeo}} before falling to {{Sm|ZeRo}} in a run-back in Grand Finals. At [[UGC Smash Open]], Salem lost to {{Sm|ESAM}}, and entered Top 48 Losers. He then defeated {{Sm|Nero}} and {{Sm|Vinnie}}, before succumbing to {{Sm|Kameme}}, finishing at a disappointing 17th. To end the year, Salem entered [[2GGT: ZeRo Saga]], where he defeated Samsora to advance to Top 48. He was then defeated by {{Sm|Abadango}} and elimnated by {{Sm|Dabuz}}, falling at another 17th place.
 
Beginning 2017, Salem took [[Smash Conference LXIX]], double eliminating Samsora in Winners Finals and Grand Finals. At [[GENESIS 4]], Salem cruised through Winners, defeating {{Sm|9B}}, before being upset by {{Sm|Elegant}}. In Losers, he defeated {{Sm|You3}} before being eliminated by {{Sm|ZeRo}}, placing 25th.
 
At [[Frostbite 2017]], Salem defeated {{Sm|Chrim Foish}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Rayquaza07}} 2-0 to make it out of pools. In bracket he defeated {{Sm|Komorikiri}} 3-2 and {{Sm|Shuton}} 3-1 before being upset by {{Sm|Tsu-}} 1-3 in winnners semis. In the losers bracket he was eliminated by Dabuz 0-3 and finished in 5th place.
 
At [[Frame Perfect Series 2]], Salem defeated {{Sm|SuperGirlKels}} 2-0 to make it out of pools winners side. In bracket he was defeated by {{Sm|Ranai}} 0-3 and sent to losers. In losers he defeated {{Sm|Kome}} 3-0, {{Sm|Earth}} 3-1 and {{Sm|ESAM}} 3-2 before losing to {{Sm|Dabuz}} 1-3 and finishing in 7th place. One week later at [[2GGC: Civil War]] Salem was upset by {{Sm|Shuton}} 0-3 in winners Top 96 and sent to losers. In losers he defeated {{Sm|Vinnie}} 3-0 before losing to {{Sm|Zinoto}} 0-3 and finishing at a disappointing 25th place.
 
At [[KTAR XX]], Salem was defeated by {{Sm|Tweek}} 2-3 in winners quarters and dropped into losers. He then defeated {{Sm|Light}} 3-1, {{Sm|6WX}} 3-0, and {{Sm|Nairo}} 3-1 in losers before once again falling to Tweek 2-3 and finishing in 4th place.
 
At [[CEO Dreamland]], Salem defeated {{Sm|Sharpyzard}} and {{Sm|Wormynugget}} 2-0 to make it out of pools. In bracket he lost to {{Sm|Marss}} and {{Sm|ANTi}} 2-3 finishing in 17th place.
 
At [[2GGC: Nairo Saga]], Salem lost in an upset to {{Sm|JK}} in winners' semis of his pool. Following this, he went on one of the most extended losers runs in ''Smash 4'' history. After beating {{Sm|TLTC}} 2-0 and {{Sm|Horse}} 3-1 to make it out of his pool on losers' side, he defeated {{Sm|quiK}} 3-1, {{Sm|Twi}} 3-0, {{Sm|Mr. R}} 3-1, {{Sm|Tweek}} 3-2, and {{Sm|KEN}} 3-0 to make it into Top 8 losers' side. Once there, he defeated {{Sm|Elegant}} 3-1, {{Sm|Ally}} 3-1 in losers' quarters, {{Sm|Nairo}} 3-0 in losers' semis, and {{Sm|MKLeo}} 3-2 in losers' final, before falling to {{Sm|ZeRo}} in Grand Finals 2-3. In the process of the run, Salem defeated three of the top four seeds of the tournament, and at 2nd place, achieved the highest ever placement of a Bayonetta main at a supernational tournament until EVO 2017 a month later.
 
At [[CEO 2017]] , Salem lost 0-3 to Nairo in winners quarters, but defeated {{Sm|MVD}} 3-2 in losers to make top 8 and secure a match with MKLeo in losers top 8. Despite being up 2-1 against his opponent's main Cloud, MKLeo counterpicked Corrin against him, and won the next two games using her to defeat Salem 2-3 and eliminate him at 7th place.
===The rise===
At [[EVO 2017]], Salem lost to {{Sm|Larry Lurr}} in winners semis. Following this, he defeated {{Sm|KEN}} 2-0 in losers quarters, {{Sm|Tweek}} 2-1 in losers semis, and Larry Lurr 3-1 in losers finals to enter grand finals. Once there, he defeated ZeRo in two sets of grand finals (3-2 each) to win the largest tournament of the year, becoming the first Bayonetta to win a premier tournament. As a result, he is now considered the best Bayonetta player in the world, after briefly losing the title to {{Sm|CaptainZack}} during the beginning of the year.
 
At [[DreamHack Atlanta 2017]], Salem won in his pool to make top 64 winners. He then defeated {{Sm|ANTi}} and {{Sm|Nairo}} both 3-0 to enter top 8 winners. He lost to {{Sm|Tweek}} 1-3 in winners semis. In losers, he defeated ANTi again 3-0, Nairo again 3-1 and Tweek 3-1 in a runback. In grand finals, he faced {{Sm|VoiD}} where he defeated him 3-2 and 3-1 to win his second S-tier tournament (according to the Panda Global Rankings) in a row.
 
===Losing the title to Tweek===
In 2018, Salem got 3rd at [[GENESIS 5]] after losing to {{Sm|MkLeo}}'s Marth 0-3 and {{Sm|Mistake}} 0-3 in the Bayonetta ditto. At [[Frostbite 2018]], he was sent into top 24 losers after being defeated by {{Sm|Fatality}} 3-2, Salem then defeated {{Sm|Captain Zack}} 3-2, {{Sm|Shoyo James}} 3-2, and {{Sm|Tyroy}} 3-0 putting him in the losers side of top 8. Salem then defeated {{Sm|komorikiri}} 3-0 and defeated {{Sm|Fatality}} 3-1 after he sent Salem into losers. Salem's losers run finally ended when he was defeated by {{Sm|Tweek}} 1-3 in the Bayonetta ditto allowing him to place 4th.
 
Salem would later go on to [[Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas]] where he ended up losing to {{Sm|Nairo}} and {{Sm|Fatality}} 2-3 earning him 9th place once again being outplaced by {{Sm|Tweek}} and {{Sm|Mistake}}.
 
Salem later attended [[MomoCon 2018]]. There he defeated {{Sm|Wrath}} 3-0 and {{Sm|Mistake}} 3-2 in the Bayonetta ditto to advance into top 8 where he defeated {{Sm|Nairo}} 3-0 before losing to {{Sm|Tweek}} 0-3 in the Bayonetta ditto. After defeating {{Sm|komorikiri}} 3-2 in a very close set, he had another close set with {{Sm|Tweek}} but lost 3-2 ending his run at 2nd.
 
In early June, he attended [[Smash 'N' Splash 4]]. He did not drop a single game in his pools which allowed him to qualify for top 64 winners where he defeated {{Sm|Gackt}} and {{Sm|Shoyo James}} in a dominant 3-0 fashion before having a close set with {{Sm|tyroy}} where he won 3-2 allowing him to move on to top 8 on the winners side. For the first time in a year, Salem managed to beat {{Sm|MkLeo}}'s Marth 3-0 dominantly. In Winners Finals, he barely lost to {{Sm|VoiD}} 2-3. Later on, he beat {{Sm|MkLeo}} once again in losers finals 3-1 before losing to {{Sm|VoiD}} again in Grand Finals 1-3 ending his fantastic run at 2nd place.
 
Salem's final two tournaments for season 5 of the PGR were at [[2GG: Hyrule Saga]] and [[CEO 2018]]. At Hyrule Saga, he defeated {{Sm|Darkshad}} 3-1 and {{Sm|Shuton}} 3-0 before losing to {{Sm|Tweek}} 0-3 and losing to {{Sm|MKLeo}} 1-3 after Leo was sent into losers early by {{Sm|zaki}}. This ended his run at 9th place. He had a simular run at [[CEO 2018]] where he defeated {{Sm|MVD}} 3-0 and {{Sm|Larry Lurr}} 3-1 before losing to {{Sm|Dabuz}} and {{Sm|CaptainZack}} 0-3.
 
As a result of these placements, he ended up getting 5th on the PGR V5 while losing the title of the best Bayonetta to {{Sm|Tweek}} who got ranked 2nd.
 
===The remainder of Smash 4===
Salem's next tournament would be [[EVO 2018]] where he was sent into losers early by {{Sm|Mr E}}'s Lucina. He defeated {{Sm|Lea}} and {{Sm|Abadango}} 2-1, but he was eliminated by {{Sm|Ally}} ending his run at a disappointing 17th place (His lowest placement since [[CEO Dreamland]].
 
Salem then went to [[Super Smash Con 2018]], he solidly cruised through pools and defeated {{Sm|SDX}} in top 32 winners before falling to {{Sm|Nairo}} 1-3, he then beat {{Sm|MagiMagi}} in a dominant 3-0 fashion before falling to {{Sm|Mistake}} ending his run at 7th place.
 
He then went on to win [[Shine 2018]] where he defeated {{Sm|ANTi}} 3-2, {{Sm|Dark Wizzy}} 3-1, {{Sm|Tweek}} 3-2, and then double eliminated {{Sm|Mistake}} in winners and grand finals to take the tournament resulting in Salem's first tournament win of 2018.
 
At [[The Big House 8]], Salem was sent into losers by {{Sm|ESAM}} in winners quarters, although he was able to defeat {{Sm|8BitMan}} to get into top 8, he then lost to {{Sm|yeti}}'s Toon Link 0-3 at 7th place.
 
Salem's last Smash 4 tournament was At [[DreamHack Atlanta 2018]], he cruised through pools until he narrowly lost to VoiD in a last hit game 5 situation. Although he beat {{Sm|Karna}} 3-0. He narrowly lost to {{Sm|Wrath}} which ended up being his first loss ever versus a Sonic ending his run at 7th place.
 
==Tournament placings==
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|[https://smashboards.com/threads/collision-v-results.327341/ Collision V]||September 1st, 2012||13th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/coffee-boys-10/events/melee-singles/brackets Coffee Boys 10]||January 15th-16th, 2017||25th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://nolimitgaming.challonge.com/snc7meleesingles Smash 'N' Chill Weekly #7]||February 28th, 2017||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://equinoxsmash.challonge.com/ELMS EagleLAN 2017]||April 29th, 2017||2nd||2nd||{{Sm|Waldo}}
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/coffee-boys-14/events/melee-singles/brackets/133911 Coffee Boys 14]||May 14th , 2017||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/congrats-again-another-north-florida-regional/events/melee-singles/standings Congrats Again: Another North Florida Regional]||June 3rd, 2017||13rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/coffee-boys-15/events/melee-singles/brackets Coffee Boys 15]||June 4th, 2017||?||&mdash;||&mdash;
|}
 
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|[[Concentrate II]]||October 22nd, 2011||5th||2nd||{{Sm|ANTi}}
|-
|[[Apex 2012]]||January 6th-8th, 2012||33rd||65th||{{Sm|Meekspeedy}}
|-
|Winter Shore Smashing||January 14th, 2012||2nd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Clash of the Titans 6]]||June 2nd, 2012||5th||5th||{{Sm|Bizkit}}
|-
|{{b|SKTAR|tournament}}||July 14th-15th, 2012||17th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=327109 Impact IV]||August 25th, 2012||5th||2nd||{{Sm|Chibo}}
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=327341 Collision V]||September 1st, 2012||5th||3rd||Chibo
|-
|[https://smashboards.com/threads/phoenix-saga-5-results-ann-arbor-mi-12-1-12.330491/ Phoenix Saga 5]||December 1st, 2012||7th||5th||Meekspeedy
|-
|[[Uprise 11]]||December 29th, 2012||9th||7th||{{Sm|Blazer}}
|-
|[[Apex 2013]]||January 11th-13th, 2013||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://shoryuken.com/2013/02/24/road-to-evo-2013-winter-brawl-7-streaming-live Winter Brawl 7]||February 23rd-24th, 2013||2nd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Rescue 2]]||March 2nd, 2013||3rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=339223 Rescue 3]||July 27th, 2013||7th||9th||{{Sm|Xzax}}
|-
|[[SKTAR 2]]||August 3rd-4th, 2013||33rd||7th||{{Sm|Vex Kasrani}}
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=339897 Smashacre Gluttony]||August 10th, 2013||3rd||3rd||Xzax
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=344618 Thanks for Playing 4]||December 21st, 2013||3rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[KTAR 8]]||December 28th, 2013||17th||3rd||{{Sm|ZeRo}}
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=345758 Collision 8]||January 11th, 2014||3rd||2nd||Vex Kasrani
|-
|[[Apex 2014]]||January 17th-19th, 2014||9th||9th||Vex Kasrani
|-
|[[SKTAR 3]]||May 31st-June 1st, 2014||17th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Apex 2015]]||January 30th-February 1st, 2015||4th||2nd||{{Sm|Mew2King}}
|-
|[[Revival of Brawl]]||November 26th, 2016||1st||2nd||{{Sm|Vincessant}}
|-
|[[CEO Dreamland]]||April 14th-16th, 2017||3rd||1st||Mew2King
|-
|[[Super Smash Con 2017]]||August 10th-13th, 2017||3rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|}
 
===''[[Project M]]''===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"  
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|[http://shoryuken.com/2013/02/24/road-to-evo-2013-winter-brawl-7-streaming-live Winter Brawl 7]||February 23rd-24th, 2013||2nd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=344618 Thanks for Playing 4]||December 21st, 2013||3rd||1st||{{Sm|ZeRo}}
|-
|[[KTAR 8]]||December 28th, 2013||5th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=345758 Collision 8]||January 11th, 2014||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Apex 2014]]||January 17th-19th, 2014||33rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[SKTAR 3]]||May 31st-June 1st, 2014||13th||13th||{{Sm|Xzax}}
|-
|[http://clashtournaments.challonge.com/pc14pm Project Clash 14]||October 27th, 2016||17th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|}
 
==={{forwiiu}}===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Tournament!!Date!!1v1 placement!!2v2 placement!!Partner
|-
|[[Sky's Smash 4 Invitational]]||November 20th-22nd, 2014||9th||5th||{{Sm|K9}}
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=380514 Collision X]||November 29th, 2014||5th||5th||{{Sm|Chibo}}
|-
|[http://challonge.com/cxiu1 Collision XI]||January 3rd, 2015||9th||7th||Chibo
|-
|[[Apex 2015]]||January 30th-February 1st, 2015||129th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/rankings/tri-smash-3-wii-u-singles.4945/event?id=8 Tri-Smash #3]||March 7th, 2015||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[KTAR XII]]||March 21st, 2015||9th||9th||Chibo
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/rankings/smash-forward-03-singles.5765/event?id=8 Smash Forward 03]||April 18th, 2015||2nd||1st||Chibo
|-
|[[KTAR XIII]]||July 12th, 2015||17th||17th||{{Sm|Waldo}}
|-
|[[EVO 2015]]||July 17th-19th, 2015||25th||33rd||Chibo
|-
|[http://smashboards.com/rankings/the-mollywhop-17.8039/event?id=8 The MollyWhop #17]||August 12th, 2015||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[SKTAR 4]]||August 22nd-23rd, 2015||7th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[http://bros-calamity.challonge.com/SnC2_20160212_S Smash & Clash 02]||February 12th, 2016||1st||1st||Chibo
|-
|[[KTAR XVII]]||February 13th, 2016||2nd||3rd||Chibo
|-
|[http://bros-calamity.challonge.com/SnC03_20160219_S Smash & Clash 03]||February 19th, 2016||1st||5th||Sparky
|-
|[http://bros-calamity.challonge.com/BLX_20160220_Singles Brotherly Love X]||February 20th, 2016||1st||1st||{{Sm|Vex Kasrani}}
|-
|[[Shots Fired 2]]||March 5th-6th, 2016||9th||17th||Chibo
|-
|[[Do or DI]]||March 11th-13th, 2016||5th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/brotherly-love-xiv/brackets/12978/34099/114816 Brotherly Love XIV]||June 4th, 2016||1st||2nd||Chibo
|-
|[[KTAR XVIII]]||June 11th, 2016||5th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[EVO 2016]]||July 15th-17th, 2016||33rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Collision XIV]]||September 3rd, 2016||1st||13th||Chibo
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/smashadelphia-ii/brackets/15309/57146/186519 Smashadelphia II]||September 11th, 2016||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/smash-conference-lxvii/brackets/17955/70855/226157 Smash Conference LXVII]||September 23rd, 2016||1st||1st||{{Sm|Mew2King}}
|-
|[[Little Big House 2]]||October 6th, 2016||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[The Big House 6]]||October 7th-9th, 2016||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/smash-conference-lxviii/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/74072 Smash Conference LXVIII]||October 14th, 2016||1st||1st||Mew2King
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/smashfield-weeklies-61/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/80875 Smashfield Weeklies #61]||October 20th, 2016||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/rebirth-ix/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/70858/226160 Rebirth IX]||October 22nd, 2016||2nd||3rd||{{Sm|GenericallyNamed}}
|-
|[[Olympus]]||October 28th-30th, 2016||1st||4th||{{Sm|Fatality}}
|-
|[[KTAR XIX]]||November 19th, 2016||2nd||17th||Chibo
|-
|[[UGC Smash Open]]||December 2nd-4th, 2016||17th||3rd||{{Sm|Ryuga}}
|-
|[[2GGT: ZeRo Saga]]||December 16th-18th, 2016||17th||3rd||{{Sm|6WX}}
|-
|[[Smash Conference LXIX]]||January 7th, 2017||1st||1st||{{Sm|8BitMan}}
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/coffee-boys-10/events/wii-u-singles/brackets Coffee Boys 10]||January 15th, 2017||1st||1st||{{Sm|WoundedDragon}}
|-
|[[GENESIS 4]]||January 20th-22nd, 2017||25th||3rd||{{Sm|ANTi}}
|-
|[[Frostbite 2017]]||February 25th-26th, 2017||5th||2nd||Ryuga
|-
|[http://nolimitgaming.challonge.com/snc7smash4singlrd Smash N Chill Weekly #7]||February 28th, 2017||4th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Frame Perfect Series 2]]||March 18th-19th, 2017||7th||25th||WoundedDragon
|-
|[[2GGC: Civil War]]||March 24th-26th, 2017||25th||5th||Mew2King
|-
|[[KTAR XX]]||April 1st-2nd, 2017||4th||5th||{{Sm|Salem's Friend}}
|-
|[[CEO Dreamland]]||April 14th-16th, 2017||17th||7th||Mew2King
|-
|[[MomoCon 2017]]||May 25th-28th, 2017||7th||9th||{{Sm|Larry Lurr}}
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/coffee-boys-15/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/136402 Coffee Boys 15]||June 4th, 2017||1st||3rd||WoundedDragon
|-
|[[2GGC: Nairo Saga]]||June 10th-11th, 2017||2nd||9th||{{Sm|Ally}}
|-
|[[Mega Smash Mondays 100]]||June 12th, 2017||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[CEO 2017]]||June 16th-18th, 2017||7th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Subs Not Scrubs: Hackoru]]||June 21st, 2017||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Naifu Wars: World War 2]]||June 23rd, 2017||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{b|UNLOCKED|tournament}}||July 1st, 2017||1st||1st||Mew2King
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/coffee-boys-16/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/141167 Coffee Boys 16]||July 9th, 2017||1st||1st||WoundedDragon
|-
|[[EVO 2017]]||July 14th-16th, 2017||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[DreamHack Atlanta 2017]]||July 21st-23rd, 2017||1st||2nd||Ryuga
|-
|[[Super Smash Con 2017]]||August 10th-13th, 2017||7th||4th||Ryuga
|-
|[[2GGC: SCR Saga]]||August 19th- 20th, 2017||7th||2nd||{{Sm|Mistake}}
|-
|[[Shine 2017]]||August 25th-27th, 2017||4th||9th||JK
|-
|[[PAX Arena at PAX West 2017]]||September 1st-4th, 2017||3rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[GameTyrant Expo 2017]]||September 29th-October 1st, 2017||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Little Big House 3]]||October 5th, 2017||7th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[The Big House 7]]||October 6th-8th, 2017||5th||7th||Ryuga
|-
|[[2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga]]|| October 14th-15th, 2017||1st||3rd||Ryuga
|-
|[[DreamHack Denver 2017]]||October 20th-22nd, 2017||2nd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Too Hot to Handle]]||October 28th-29th, 2017||5th||17th||WoundedDragon
|-
|[[2GGC: MkLeo Saga]]||November 4th, 2017||9th||9th||{{Sm|Komorikiri}}
|-
|[[Tipped Off 12]]||November 11th-12th, 2017||1st||1st||Mew2King
|-
|[[Midwest Mayhem 10]]||November 25th, 2017||1st||1st||Tweek
|-
|[[2GG Championship]]||December 1st-3rd, 2017||3rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[[Smash 4 Boot Camp]]||December 7th-10th, 2017||1st||5th||{{Sm|MVD}}
|-
|[[PAX Arena at PAX South 2018]]||January 12th-14th, 2018||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|GENESIS 5}}||January 19th-21st, 2018||3rd||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Frostbite 2018}}||February 9th-11th, 2018||4th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/overlords-of-orlando-a-florida-monthly-series/events/wii-u-singles/brackets/217764 Overlords of Orlando]||March 18th, 2018||1st||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas}}||March 24th-25th, 2018||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Collision XV}}||March 31st, 2018||7th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/immortal-tech-ft-liquid-salem-marss-mvg-light-dark-wizzy/events/smash-4-singles/brackets/203417 Immortal Tech]||April 28th, 2018||3rd||2nd||{{Sm|Pugwest}}
|-
|[https://smash.gg/tournament/unrivaled-x-gon-give-it-to-ya-a-regional/events/wiiu-singles/brackets/259270 Unrivaled X: Gon' Give It To Ya]||May 12th, 2018||1st||1st||{{Sm|ScAtt}}
|-
|{{Trn|MomoCon 2018}}||May 24th-27th, 2018||2nd||7th||Mistake
|-
|{{Trn|Smash 'N' Splash 4}}||June 1st-3rd, 2018||2nd||5th||{{Sm|CaptainZack}}
|-
|{{Trn|2GG: Hyrule Saga}}||June 23rd-24th, 2018||9th||33rd||{{Sm|Zethsway}}
|-
|{{Trn|CEO 2018}}||June 29th-July 1st, 2018||9th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|EVO 2018}}||August 3rd-5th, 2018||17th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Super Smash Con 2018}}||August 9th-12th, 2018||7th||&mdash;||&mdash;
|-
|{{Trn|Shine 2018}}||August 24th-26th, 2018||1st||4th||{{Sm|MuteAce}}
|-
|[[Curtain Call 2: Encore]]||September 1st, 2018||1st||1st||{{Sm|Dark Wizzy}}
|-
|[[The Big House 8]]||October 5th-7th, 2018||7th||4th||Dark Wizzy
|-
|[[Super Smash Fight Club 5]]||November 10, 2018||3rd||3rd||Dark Wizzy
|-
|{{Trn|DreamHack Atlanta 2018}}||November 16th-18th, 2018||7th||1st||Dark Wizzy
|}
 
==Trivia==
*Salem had never won any tournaments, locals included, prior to his [[Apex 2013]] victory; a similar scenario occurred at [[Apex 2012]], being the first tournament {{Sm|Otori}} ever won.
*For his victory in EVO 2017, the official twitter of PlatinumGames, the creator of the Bayonetta games, [https://twitter.com/platinumgames/status/887116134956244993 sent him congratulations] for winning with Bayonetta.
*Salem was recognized by Forbes in their "30 Under 30 - Games" 2018 list, with his EVO 2017 performance being featured.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/saleem-young/|title=Forbes recognizes Salem in their "30 Under 30 - Games" 2018 list}}</ref>
**{{Sm|Hungrybox}} was similarly recognized for their "30 Under 30 - Games" 2017 list.
 
==External links==
*[https://twitter.com/LiquidSalem Twitter account]
*[https://www.twitch.tv/salem_aran Twitch channel]
*[http://smashboards.com/members/salem.121621/ Smashboards public profile]
*[https://ssbworld.com/players/96/salem SSBWorld profile]
 
==Gameplay videos==
===''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''===
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBGffJfBkd0 Apex 2013 SSBB Grand Finals - Salem vs. Mew2King]
 
==={{forwiiu}}===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLE4yrjRvyk Collision XIV - ZeRo (Diddy Kong) vs Salem (Bayonetta) - SSB4 Winners]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq6mIyMIbo8 Collision XIV - Salem (Bayonetta) vs ZeRo (Diddy Kong) - SSB4 Losers Semis]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la5RMj7PTgA Olympus - Salem (Bayonetta) vs Tweek (Cloud) - SSB4 Grand Finals]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWXT0WFdK8 EVO 2017 - Evo 2017 SMASH WII U GRAND FINALS: ZeRo Vs. Salem | Smash 4]
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
[[Category:New Jersey smashers]]
[[Category:Florida smashers]]
[[Category:Zero Suit Samus professionals (SSBB)]]
[[Category:Zelda professionals (PM)]]
[[Category:Bayonetta professionals (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Sheik professionals (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Zero Suit Samus professionals (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Samus professionals (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Lucina professionals (SSB4)]]
[[Category:Greninja professionals (SSB4)]]
[[Category:VIP players]]
[[Category:2014 SSBBRank ranked players]]
[[Category:2016-2017 SSBBRank ranked players]]
[[Category:PGR v2 ranked players]]
[[Category:PGR v3 ranked players]]
[[Category:PGR v4 ranked players]]
[[Category:PGR v5 ranked players]]
[[Category:Netplay smashers]]

Revision as of 23:03, December 25, 2018

Salem
Salem2018SSBU.jpg
Character info
Melee main Peach
Other Melee characters Marth, Sheik
Brawl main Zero Suit Samus
Other Brawl characters Snake, Marth
Smash 4 main Bayonetta
Other Smash 4 characters Greninja, Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Lucina, Sheik, Villager, Captain Falcon, Marth, Robin
Project M main Zelda
Other Project M character Zero Suit Samus
Team info
Sponsor(s) Team Liquid, Most Valuable Gaming
Former sponsor(s) CLASH Tournaments
Rankings and results info
Most recent ranking Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2016-2017 SSBBRank: 3rd
Super Smash Bros. 4 Panda Global Rankings 100: 6th
Winnings Super Smash Bros. Brawl ~$4,218.90
Super Smash Bros. 4 ~$42,371.53
Personal and other info
Real name Saleem Akiel Young
Birth date (age 29)
Location Orlando, Florida United States
Miscellaneous info
Skill Super Smash Bros. Melee Semi-professional
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Top professional
Super Smash Bros. 4 Top professional (retired)
PM Icon.png Top professional

Salem is an SSB4 Bayonetta player with strong Greninja and Samus secondaries from Atlantic City, New Jersey, who is currently residing in Orlando, Florida, and is widely considered the best Bayonetta player of all time as well as one of the best Bayonetta players in the world (along with Tweek, Mistake, CaptainZack, and Lima). Salem is currently ranked 6th on the Panda Global Rankings 100. He was formerly ranked 2nd on the Central Florida Smash 4 Power Rankings and 3rd on the New Jersey Power Rankings. Salem has taken sets off of top players such as ZeRo, MkLeo, Tweek, Dabuz, Nairo, Mistake, Mr.R, CaptainZack, komorikiri, and VoiD. He is considered to be one of the best Smash 4 players in the world.

His static partner in doubles is Ryuga and they are considered to be one of the best doubles teams in the world. The two have achieved strong results together, such as 3rd at UGC Smash Open, 4th at Super Smash Con 2017, and 2nd at both Frostbite 2017 and DreamHack Atlanta 2017. They have taken sets off of teams such as ZeRo and Nairo, VoiD and NAKAT, ESAM and MVD, and Abadango and Kameme.

In SSBB, Salem is a Zero Suit Samus player, and is widely considered the best Zero Suit Samus player in the world. Salem is currently ranked 3rd on the 2016-2017 SSBBRank. He was ranked 6th on the final Tristate Brawl Power Rankings.

He is the first player to double eliminate ZeRo in a set outside of Grand Finals, doing so at Collision XIV. He is also one of two players to double-eliminate ZeRo in more than one tournament, achieving this again in grand finals of EVO 2017.

On October 8th, 2016, Salem was signed by Most Valuable Gaming.[1]

As of February 9th 2018, Salem was signed on by Team Liquid.[2]

Tournament history

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Before playing in the offline scene, he gained fame on the All is Brawl ladder as an incredible Wi-Fi player, dominating the ladder with Zero Suit Samus. He made his offline debut at Concentrate II, placing 5th, where he defeated Nicole, Jbandrew, Will, and Kingtoon. He later attended Apex 2012; while only placing 33rd, he defeated Nick Riddle in bracket, then considered to be the best Zero Suit Samus player in the USA.

Throughout 2012, Salem continued to enter tournaments and place well in stacked tournaments within the NY/NJ region, but it wasn't until a dominating performance at Apex 2013 that he had a standout performance at a major, where he unexpectedly took the tournament. On his path to victory, he defeated top players such as mikeHAZE, Mr. R, Otori, the Apex 2012 champion, Dojo, Mikeneko, and Mew2King in both Winners' and Grand Finals, the latter of which is considered to be one of the most intense sets witnessed in Brawl tournament play. In Grand Finals, the set went to a last game, last hit situation, before Salem won following an extensive war of attrition. His win stunned the community; not only had he won one of the most prestigious Brawl tournaments at the time with a character not considered top tier, but he had also never won a tournament prior to then.

At Apex 2014, Salem advanced through his pool, defeating Mekos. He then defeated V115, before losing to ESAM in Winners'. He proceeded to defeat Pwii and Koolaid, before losing to ADHD in a close set, placing 9th overall, outplacing Nick Riddle once again.

Project M

Salem dabbled with Project M, maining Zelda. At Apex 2014 he advanced to bracket, but lost to Eli right away. He then beat Vectorman before falling to Atomsk placing 33rd. At SKTAR 3 he made a long Losers run beating Ringworm, NinjaLink, Wes, Internet Explorer, MVD, Porkchops, and Larry Lurr, before losing to ZeRo to place 13th.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

At the onset of SSB4's release, Salem initially co-mained Sheik and Zero Suit Samus. His first major tournament was Apex 2015, but he drastically underperformed, failing to advance from Pools following being DQed in Winners and losing to falln in Losers Finals of his Pool. Reversing that poor performance later, he placed 9th place at KTAR XII. At EVO 2015 he made it to Top 32 Losers before losing to Tyrant, placing 25th. He'd place decently at smaller tournaments, placing 7th at SKTAR 4, 2nd at KTAR XVII, 9th at Shots Fired 2, and 5th at Do or DI and KTAR XVIII. Upon Bayonetta's release in February 2016, Salem switched to maining her.

Salem would finally have his breakout performance in SSB4 when he won Collision XIV, double-eliminating ZeRo in close sets in Winners Quarters and Losers Semis, Nairo in Losers Finals, and defeating Tweek in Grand Finals. He then attended Smashadelphia II, where he defeated Sinji, Mr.E, and 6WX convincingly to take the tournament. He then traveled to compete at Smash Conference LXVII, dominantly defeating dyr, Fatality, and Mew2King. In Grand Finals Mew2King would reset the bracket, but Salem won the following set.

Before The Big House 6, Salem entered Little Big House 2, where he defeated Darkshad and Shogun to advance into bracket. In bracket, he defeated Kameme, 6WX, Dath, and Abadango in Grand Finals to win the tournament, thought to be a precursor for his performance at The Big House 6. At The Big House 6, he defeated MJG and Rich Brown to advance into Top 32. In Top 32 he fell to Dabuz in Winners. In Losers he defeated Kameme in the run-back before falling to Nairo, placing at a slightly underwhelming 9th.

At Smash Conference LXVIII, Salem fell to Saj in Bayonetta dittos. He then made an extensive Losers run defeating Child, Rideae, LordMix, 8BitMan, Saj in a close rematch, and reset the bracket against Manny to win the tournament. Salem later returned to Michigan where he won Smashfield Weeklies 61, defeating Ryuga before falling to Ally in Winners Finals, defeating Ryuga again in Losers Finals, and defeating Ally in both sets of Grand Finals. Two days later, he attended Rebirth IX, where he defeated smasher1001 and LOE1, before falling to Zinoto in Winners Finals. He then defeated Rayquaza07 in Losers Finals, reset the bracket against Zinoto, but ultimately lost in a close second set, placing 2nd.

Salem would next enter Olympus, where he defeated 6WX to make Top 8. There, Salem defeated Larry Lurr, but then fell to Tweek in Winners Finals. In Losers Finals, Salem defeated Larry Lurr again, then dominantly took both sets of Grand Finals to take 1st. At KTAR XIX, he defeated Gomamugitya to make Top 48. In Top 48, he defeated False before losing to Tweek. In Losers, he defeated Zinoto, WaDi, Samsora, Nairo, and MKLeo before falling to ZeRo in a run-back in Grand Finals. At UGC Smash Open, Salem lost to ESAM, and entered Top 48 Losers. He then defeated Nero and Vinnie, before succumbing to Kameme, finishing at a disappointing 17th. To end the year, Salem entered 2GGT: ZeRo Saga, where he defeated Samsora to advance to Top 48. He was then defeated by Abadango and elimnated by Dabuz, falling at another 17th place.

Beginning 2017, Salem took Smash Conference LXIX, double eliminating Samsora in Winners Finals and Grand Finals. At GENESIS 4, Salem cruised through Winners, defeating 9B, before being upset by Elegant. In Losers, he defeated You3 before being eliminated by ZeRo, placing 25th.

At Frostbite 2017, Salem defeated Chrim Foish 2-0 and Rayquaza07 2-0 to make it out of pools. In bracket he defeated Komorikiri 3-2 and Shuton 3-1 before being upset by Tsu- 1-3 in winnners semis. In the losers bracket he was eliminated by Dabuz 0-3 and finished in 5th place.

At Frame Perfect Series 2, Salem defeated SuperGirlKels 2-0 to make it out of pools winners side. In bracket he was defeated by Ranai 0-3 and sent to losers. In losers he defeated Kome 3-0, Earth 3-1 and ESAM 3-2 before losing to Dabuz 1-3 and finishing in 7th place. One week later at 2GGC: Civil War Salem was upset by Shuton 0-3 in winners Top 96 and sent to losers. In losers he defeated Vinnie 3-0 before losing to Zinoto 0-3 and finishing at a disappointing 25th place.

At KTAR XX, Salem was defeated by Tweek 2-3 in winners quarters and dropped into losers. He then defeated Light 3-1, 6WX 3-0, and Nairo 3-1 in losers before once again falling to Tweek 2-3 and finishing in 4th place.

At CEO Dreamland, Salem defeated Sharpyzard and Wormynugget 2-0 to make it out of pools. In bracket he lost to Marss and ANTi 2-3 finishing in 17th place.

At 2GGC: Nairo Saga, Salem lost in an upset to JK in winners' semis of his pool. Following this, he went on one of the most extended losers runs in Smash 4 history. After beating TLTC 2-0 and Horse 3-1 to make it out of his pool on losers' side, he defeated quiK 3-1, Twi 3-0, Mr. R 3-1, Tweek 3-2, and KEN 3-0 to make it into Top 8 losers' side. Once there, he defeated Elegant 3-1, Ally 3-1 in losers' quarters, Nairo 3-0 in losers' semis, and MKLeo 3-2 in losers' final, before falling to ZeRo in Grand Finals 2-3. In the process of the run, Salem defeated three of the top four seeds of the tournament, and at 2nd place, achieved the highest ever placement of a Bayonetta main at a supernational tournament until EVO 2017 a month later.

At CEO 2017 , Salem lost 0-3 to Nairo in winners quarters, but defeated MVD 3-2 in losers to make top 8 and secure a match with MKLeo in losers top 8. Despite being up 2-1 against his opponent's main Cloud, MKLeo counterpicked Corrin against him, and won the next two games using her to defeat Salem 2-3 and eliminate him at 7th place.

The rise

At EVO 2017, Salem lost to Larry Lurr in winners semis. Following this, he defeated KEN 2-0 in losers quarters, Tweek 2-1 in losers semis, and Larry Lurr 3-1 in losers finals to enter grand finals. Once there, he defeated ZeRo in two sets of grand finals (3-2 each) to win the largest tournament of the year, becoming the first Bayonetta to win a premier tournament. As a result, he is now considered the best Bayonetta player in the world, after briefly losing the title to CaptainZack during the beginning of the year.

At DreamHack Atlanta 2017, Salem won in his pool to make top 64 winners. He then defeated ANTi and Nairo both 3-0 to enter top 8 winners. He lost to Tweek 1-3 in winners semis. In losers, he defeated ANTi again 3-0, Nairo again 3-1 and Tweek 3-1 in a runback. In grand finals, he faced VoiD where he defeated him 3-2 and 3-1 to win his second S-tier tournament (according to the Panda Global Rankings) in a row.

Losing the title to Tweek

In 2018, Salem got 3rd at GENESIS 5 after losing to MkLeo's Marth 0-3 and Mistake 0-3 in the Bayonetta ditto. At Frostbite 2018, he was sent into top 24 losers after being defeated by Fatality 3-2, Salem then defeated Captain Zack 3-2, Shoyo James 3-2, and Tyroy 3-0 putting him in the losers side of top 8. Salem then defeated komorikiri 3-0 and defeated Fatality 3-1 after he sent Salem into losers. Salem's losers run finally ended when he was defeated by Tweek 1-3 in the Bayonetta ditto allowing him to place 4th.

Salem would later go on to Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas where he ended up losing to Nairo and Fatality 2-3 earning him 9th place once again being outplaced by Tweek and Mistake.

Salem later attended MomoCon 2018. There he defeated Wrath 3-0 and Mistake 3-2 in the Bayonetta ditto to advance into top 8 where he defeated Nairo 3-0 before losing to Tweek 0-3 in the Bayonetta ditto. After defeating komorikiri 3-2 in a very close set, he had another close set with Tweek but lost 3-2 ending his run at 2nd.

In early June, he attended Smash 'N' Splash 4. He did not drop a single game in his pools which allowed him to qualify for top 64 winners where he defeated Gackt and Shoyo James in a dominant 3-0 fashion before having a close set with tyroy where he won 3-2 allowing him to move on to top 8 on the winners side. For the first time in a year, Salem managed to beat MkLeo's Marth 3-0 dominantly. In Winners Finals, he barely lost to VoiD 2-3. Later on, he beat MkLeo once again in losers finals 3-1 before losing to VoiD again in Grand Finals 1-3 ending his fantastic run at 2nd place.

Salem's final two tournaments for season 5 of the PGR were at 2GG: Hyrule Saga and CEO 2018. At Hyrule Saga, he defeated Darkshad 3-1 and Shuton 3-0 before losing to Tweek 0-3 and losing to MKLeo 1-3 after Leo was sent into losers early by zaki. This ended his run at 9th place. He had a simular run at CEO 2018 where he defeated MVD 3-0 and Larry Lurr 3-1 before losing to Dabuz and CaptainZack 0-3.

As a result of these placements, he ended up getting 5th on the PGR V5 while losing the title of the best Bayonetta to Tweek who got ranked 2nd.

The remainder of Smash 4

Salem's next tournament would be EVO 2018 where he was sent into losers early by Mr E's Lucina. He defeated Lea and Abadango 2-1, but he was eliminated by Ally ending his run at a disappointing 17th place (His lowest placement since CEO Dreamland.

Salem then went to Super Smash Con 2018, he solidly cruised through pools and defeated SDX in top 32 winners before falling to Nairo 1-3, he then beat MagiMagi in a dominant 3-0 fashion before falling to Mistake ending his run at 7th place.

He then went on to win Shine 2018 where he defeated ANTi 3-2, Dark Wizzy 3-1, Tweek 3-2, and then double eliminated Mistake in winners and grand finals to take the tournament resulting in Salem's first tournament win of 2018.

At The Big House 8, Salem was sent into losers by ESAM in winners quarters, although he was able to defeat 8BitMan to get into top 8, he then lost to yeti's Toon Link 0-3 at 7th place.

Salem's last Smash 4 tournament was At DreamHack Atlanta 2018, he cruised through pools until he narrowly lost to VoiD in a last hit game 5 situation. Although he beat Karna 3-0. He narrowly lost to Wrath which ended up being his first loss ever versus a Sonic ending his run at 7th place.

Tournament placings

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Tournament Date 1v1 placement 2v2 placement Partner
Collision V September 1st, 2012 13th — —
Coffee Boys 10 January 15th-16th, 2017 25th — —
Smash 'N' Chill Weekly #7 February 28th, 2017 1st — —
EagleLAN 2017 April 29th, 2017 2nd 2nd Waldo
Coffee Boys 14 May 14th , 2017 1st — —
Congrats Again: Another North Florida Regional June 3rd, 2017 13rd — —
Coffee Boys 15 June 4th, 2017 ? — —

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Tournament Date 1v1 placement 2v2 placement Partner
Concentrate II October 22nd, 2011 5th 2nd ANTi
Apex 2012 January 6th-8th, 2012 33rd 65th Meekspeedy
Winter Shore Smashing January 14th, 2012 2nd — —
Clash of the Titans 6 June 2nd, 2012 5th 5th Bizkit
SKTAR July 14th-15th, 2012 17th — —
Impact IV August 25th, 2012 5th 2nd Chibo
Collision V September 1st, 2012 5th 3rd Chibo
Phoenix Saga 5 December 1st, 2012 7th 5th Meekspeedy
Uprise 11 December 29th, 2012 9th 7th Blazer
Apex 2013 January 11th-13th, 2013 1st — —
Winter Brawl 7 February 23rd-24th, 2013 2nd — —
Rescue 2 March 2nd, 2013 3rd — —
Rescue 3 July 27th, 2013 7th 9th Xzax
SKTAR 2 August 3rd-4th, 2013 33rd 7th Vex Kasrani
Smashacre Gluttony August 10th, 2013 3rd 3rd Xzax
Thanks for Playing 4 December 21st, 2013 3rd — —
KTAR 8 December 28th, 2013 17th 3rd ZeRo
Collision 8 January 11th, 2014 3rd 2nd Vex Kasrani
Apex 2014 January 17th-19th, 2014 9th 9th Vex Kasrani
SKTAR 3 May 31st-June 1st, 2014 17th — —
Apex 2015 January 30th-February 1st, 2015 4th 2nd Mew2King
Revival of Brawl November 26th, 2016 1st 2nd Vincessant
CEO Dreamland April 14th-16th, 2017 3rd 1st Mew2King
Super Smash Con 2017 August 10th-13th, 2017 3rd — —

Project M

Tournament Date 1v1 placement 2v2 placement Partner
Winter Brawl 7 February 23rd-24th, 2013 2nd — —
Thanks for Playing 4 December 21st, 2013 3rd 1st ZeRo
KTAR 8 December 28th, 2013 5th — —
Collision 8 January 11th, 2014 1st — —
Apex 2014 January 17th-19th, 2014 33rd — —
SKTAR 3 May 31st-June 1st, 2014 13th 13th Xzax
Project Clash 14 October 27th, 2016 17th — —

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Tournament Date 1v1 placement 2v2 placement Partner
Sky's Smash 4 Invitational November 20th-22nd, 2014 9th 5th K9
Collision X November 29th, 2014 5th 5th Chibo
Collision XI January 3rd, 2015 9th 7th Chibo
Apex 2015 January 30th-February 1st, 2015 129th — —
Tri-Smash #3 March 7th, 2015 1st — —
KTAR XII March 21st, 2015 9th 9th Chibo
Smash Forward 03 April 18th, 2015 2nd 1st Chibo
KTAR XIII July 12th, 2015 17th 17th Waldo
EVO 2015 July 17th-19th, 2015 25th 33rd Chibo
The MollyWhop #17 August 12th, 2015 1st — —
SKTAR 4 August 22nd-23rd, 2015 7th — —
Smash & Clash 02 February 12th, 2016 1st 1st Chibo
KTAR XVII February 13th, 2016 2nd 3rd Chibo
Smash & Clash 03 February 19th, 2016 1st 5th Sparky
Brotherly Love X February 20th, 2016 1st 1st Vex Kasrani
Shots Fired 2 March 5th-6th, 2016 9th 17th Chibo
Do or DI March 11th-13th, 2016 5th — —
Brotherly Love XIV June 4th, 2016 1st 2nd Chibo
KTAR XVIII June 11th, 2016 5th — —
EVO 2016 July 15th-17th, 2016 33rd — —
Collision XIV September 3rd, 2016 1st 13th Chibo
Smashadelphia II September 11th, 2016 1st — —
Smash Conference LXVII September 23rd, 2016 1st 1st Mew2King
Little Big House 2 October 6th, 2016 1st — —
The Big House 6 October 7th-9th, 2016 9th — —
Smash Conference LXVIII October 14th, 2016 1st 1st Mew2King
Smashfield Weeklies #61 October 20th, 2016 1st — —
Rebirth IX October 22nd, 2016 2nd 3rd GenericallyNamed
Olympus October 28th-30th, 2016 1st 4th Fatality
KTAR XIX November 19th, 2016 2nd 17th Chibo
UGC Smash Open December 2nd-4th, 2016 17th 3rd Ryuga
2GGT: ZeRo Saga December 16th-18th, 2016 17th 3rd 6WX
Smash Conference LXIX January 7th, 2017 1st 1st 8BitMan
Coffee Boys 10 January 15th, 2017 1st 1st WoundedDragon
GENESIS 4 January 20th-22nd, 2017 25th 3rd ANTi
Frostbite 2017 February 25th-26th, 2017 5th 2nd Ryuga
Smash N Chill Weekly #7 February 28th, 2017 4th — —
Frame Perfect Series 2 March 18th-19th, 2017 7th 25th WoundedDragon
2GGC: Civil War March 24th-26th, 2017 25th 5th Mew2King
KTAR XX April 1st-2nd, 2017 4th 5th Salem's Friend
CEO Dreamland April 14th-16th, 2017 17th 7th Mew2King
MomoCon 2017 May 25th-28th, 2017 7th 9th Larry Lurr
Coffee Boys 15 June 4th, 2017 1st 3rd WoundedDragon
2GGC: Nairo Saga June 10th-11th, 2017 2nd 9th Ally
Mega Smash Mondays 100 June 12th, 2017 9th — —
CEO 2017 June 16th-18th, 2017 7th — —
Subs Not Scrubs: Hackoru June 21st, 2017 9th — —
Naifu Wars: World War 2 June 23rd, 2017 1st — —
UNLOCKED July 1st, 2017 1st 1st Mew2King
Coffee Boys 16 July 9th, 2017 1st 1st WoundedDragon
EVO 2017 July 14th-16th, 2017 1st — —
DreamHack Atlanta 2017 July 21st-23rd, 2017 1st 2nd Ryuga
Super Smash Con 2017 August 10th-13th, 2017 7th 4th Ryuga
2GGC: SCR Saga August 19th- 20th, 2017 7th 2nd Mistake
Shine 2017 August 25th-27th, 2017 4th 9th JK
PAX Arena at PAX West 2017 September 1st-4th, 2017 3rd — —
GameTyrant Expo 2017 September 29th-October 1st, 2017 9th — —
Little Big House 3 October 5th, 2017 7th — —
The Big House 7 October 6th-8th, 2017 5th 7th Ryuga
2GGC: Fire Emblem Saga October 14th-15th, 2017 1st 3rd Ryuga
DreamHack Denver 2017 October 20th-22nd, 2017 2nd — —
Too Hot to Handle October 28th-29th, 2017 5th 17th WoundedDragon
2GGC: MkLeo Saga November 4th, 2017 9th 9th Komorikiri
Tipped Off 12 November 11th-12th, 2017 1st 1st Mew2King
Midwest Mayhem 10 November 25th, 2017 1st 1st Tweek
2GG Championship December 1st-3rd, 2017 3rd — —
Smash 4 Boot Camp December 7th-10th, 2017 1st 5th MVD
PAX Arena at PAX South 2018 January 12th-14th, 2018 9th — —
GENESIS 5 January 19th-21st, 2018 3rd — —
Frostbite 2018 February 9th-11th, 2018 4th — —
Overlords of Orlando March 18th, 2018 1st — —
Smash Masters League: Battle for Vegas March 24th-25th, 2018 9th — —
Collision XV March 31st, 2018 7th — —
Immortal Tech April 28th, 2018 3rd 2nd Pugwest
Unrivaled X: Gon' Give It To Ya May 12th, 2018 1st 1st ScAtt
MomoCon 2018 May 24th-27th, 2018 2nd 7th Mistake
Smash 'N' Splash 4 June 1st-3rd, 2018 2nd 5th CaptainZack
2GG: Hyrule Saga June 23rd-24th, 2018 9th 33rd Zethsway
CEO 2018 June 29th-July 1st, 2018 9th — —
EVO 2018 August 3rd-5th, 2018 17th — —
Super Smash Con 2018 August 9th-12th, 2018 7th — —
Shine 2018 August 24th-26th, 2018 1st 4th MuteAce
Curtain Call 2: Encore September 1st, 2018 1st 1st Dark Wizzy
The Big House 8 October 5th-7th, 2018 7th 4th Dark Wizzy
Super Smash Fight Club 5 November 10, 2018 3rd 3rd Dark Wizzy
DreamHack Atlanta 2018 November 16th-18th, 2018 7th 1st Dark Wizzy

Trivia

  • Salem had never won any tournaments, locals included, prior to his Apex 2013 victory; a similar scenario occurred at Apex 2012, being the first tournament Otori ever won.
  • For his victory in EVO 2017, the official twitter of PlatinumGames, the creator of the Bayonetta games, sent him congratulations for winning with Bayonetta.
  • Salem was recognized by Forbes in their "30 Under 30 - Games" 2018 list, with his EVO 2017 performance being featured.[3]
    • Hungrybox was similarly recognized for their "30 Under 30 - Games" 2017 list.

External links

Gameplay videos

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

References

  1. ^ MVG sign Salem.
  2. ^ Team Liquid signs Salem.
  3. ^ Forbes recognizes Salem in their "30 Under 30 - Games" 2018 list.
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