Smasher:ESAM: Difference between revisions

Smasher:ESAM (edit)

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 ===''Ultimate''===
-Prior to the release of ''Ultimate'', ESAM was already hyping up {{SSBU|Pikachu}}'s potential in the new game, noting the new combos the character could perform thanks to its new neutral air. ESAM prove how strong Pikachu was after the game launched at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}}, where he placed 2nd out of over 500 players and falling only to {{Sm|MVD}}.
+====2019====
+Prior to the release of ''Ultimate'', ESAM was already hyping up {{SSBU|Pikachu}}'s potential in the new game, noting the new combos the character could perform thanks to its new neutral air. ESAM prove his opinions right at {{Trn|Don't Park on the Grass 2018}}, where he placed 2nd out of over 500 players and falling only to {{Sm|MVD}}.
+Sticking with Pikachu, ESAM began the first ''Ultimate'' season with a strong 7th place finish at {{Trn|GENESIS 6}}, defeating {{Sm|Ally}} and {{Sm|Tweek}} along the way. This, however, initially seemed as an outlier: despite consistently placing top 8 at a regional level during that season, including winning {{Trn|Battle of BC 3}} over Ally, ESAM saw mediocre results on a national level, placing 65th at {{Trn|Frostbite 2019}}, 33rd at {{Trn|2GG: Prime Saga}}, and 25th at {{Trn|Pound 2019}}. He also struggled against the {{SSBU|Peach}} matchup and notably lost two sets against the up-and-coming Peach player {{Sm|MuteAce}}. Both his results and his struggle against Peach, however, did not deter ESAM, and he continued to lab Pikachu to try and bring out its true potential. This potential was shown at {{Trn|Get On My Level 2019}}, where ESAM ran through Ally, {{Sm|Cosmos}}, {{Sm|Nairo}}, and even {{Sm|MkLeo}} to ultimately place 3rd, his best tournament run of the season. ESAM capped off the first season with a 9th place at {{Trn|CEO 2019}}, where he finally overcame the Peach matchup by defeating MuteAce. Due to these performances and wins, ESAM was ranked 16th on the [[Spring 2019 PGRU]].
+ESAM's second season was somewhat similar to his first. ESAM's result once again saw several dips as he underperformed at both {{Trn|Low Tier City 7}} and {{Trn|EVO 2019}}, losing to players who weren't ranked on the PGR at that time. His performances at other supermajors such as {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2019}} and {{Trn|Shine 2019}} were solid, however it was because of relatively easy brackets, and he failed to make any notable upsets.
+Despite these setbacks, however, ESAM ended up seeing his best season yet, largely due to his performances at both {{Trn|Glitch 7 - Minus World}} and {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 2}}. At Glitch 7, ESAM tore through the entire tournament, defeating Nairo, Tweek, and Light twice to win the tournament, marking his first victory at a major tournament. At Summit, ESAM once again defeated MkLeo as well as {{Sm|Dabuz}} and {{Sm|Zackray}}, but fell to his bracket demons MuteAce and {{Sm|Maister}} to place 5th. These results, as well as his victory at the Canadian regional {{Trn|Rising Stars at EGLX 2019}}, once again cemented him as a top 20 player, and he rose two spots on the [[Fall 2019 PGRU]], placing 14th.
+====2020-mid 2021====
+Coming off of a rather inconsistent season, ESAM began the third season looking better than ever, placing 3rd at {{Trn|Glitch 8 - Missingno}} and 4th at {{Trn|GENESIS 7}}. The season, however, was cut short due to the [[COVID-19|COVID-19 pandemic]], which brought tournament play online for a full year. This did not hinder ESAM, as his character was largely unaffected in the online metagame. Although underperforming at {{Trn|The Quarantine Series Opening Invitational}}, he placed 9th at [[Tournament:The Quarantine Series: Minor Tournament 1|the next Quarantine Series tournament]], defeating {{Sm|Kola}}. His final, and best, notable placement was at {{Trn|The Box}}, where despite being upset by Gos, he made a grueling Loser's run, defeating {{Sm|Sparg0}} and {{Sm|Epic_Gabriel}} along the way, to ultimately place 4th. These results allowed him to be ranked 14th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v5]], mirroring his Fall 2019 PGRU placement.
+Although ESAM was rather inactive at WWR-ranked tournaments in the following season, he returned during the seventh season, mostly to participate in online tournament circuits. He qualified for {{Trn|The Pandemic Anniversary Series}} by winning the second qualifier, {{Trn|Return to Subspace: ONLINE}}, over {{Sm|Capitancito}}, and saw another top 8 placement at the fourth qualifier, {{Trn|Collision Online 2021}}. He then qualified for the {{Trn|SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals}} by placing 2nd at {{Trn|SWT: NA Southeast Ultimate Online Qualifier}}, losing to {{Sm|Vendetta}} twice. His final notable tournament of the online era was at {{Trn|Pandemic Anniversary Series: Finale}}, where he once again placed top 8. Although he did not attend that many tournaments, ESAM's results at the notable tournaments he did attend helped him be ranked 18th on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7]].
+====2021====
+ESAM was absent during the first few months of the metagame's transition back to offline. When he returned, however, he returned with a bang. At {{Trn|Glitch 8.5 - Konami Code}}, ESAM defied expectations by once again tearing through the bracket in a similar vein to his Glitch 7 run, however this time he also defeated {{Sm|MkLeo}} twice - both times in the fourth game - to win the tournament, marking his second major victory. Following this run, many players began to consider ESAM as a potential candidate for the best player in the world, especially since many players in the United States also considered Pikachu to be one of the best characters in the game.
+Ultimately, however, ESAM fell short of these expectations, as he failed to come close to the run he had at Glitch 8.5. Despite being seeded first at {{Trn|Super Smash Con: Fall Fest}}, he fell short significantly by losing to {{Sm|ApolloKage}} and {{Sm|IcyMist}} to place 17th. Although he came out of Round Robin on the winner's side at {{Trn|SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals}}, he fell to {{Sm|Kola}} and {{Sm|Wrath}} to place 7th, failing to qualify for the [[Tournament:Smash World Tour 2021 Championships|championship tournament]]. His final two tournaments - {{Trn|Mainstage 2021}} and {{Trn|CEO 2021}} - also ended in disappointment: despite placing top 16 at both tournaments, he failed to make any notable upsets. These placements dashed away any hopes for ESAM to be the best player in the post-pandemic metagame, and by the end of the year, he was ranked in the A-tier on the [[PGRUContenders North America]], which placed him in the top 13 in the continent, and 18th in the world on the [[OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse]].
 ==Playstyle==