Tristate Area

The Tristate Area refers to a Smash region centered on southeastern New York, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania (more specifically, the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas); the region borders and/or overlaps with parts of Upstate New York, the Connecticut portion of New England, Pittsburgh/Northeast Ohio, and Maryland/Virginia. While conventionally the Tristate Area refers only to the, the competitive Super Smash Bros. community also includes in the term the and other parts of eastern Pennsylvania, while usually excluding western Connecticut.

Anchored by NYC and Philadelphia, two of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, the densely populated Tristate Area has accordingly grown into one of the largest Smash regions in the country, particularly for Smash 4. It was also home to the largest Brawl community in North America during the game's peak levels of activity. Dedicated TOs, such as and, combined with easy access to the NYC area's major airports, have helped the Tristate Area develop into the Smash hub it has become today. With the prominence of the Apex series, the region was even considered the unofficial center of grassroots activity; however, with the decline of Apex and the rise of new supermajors in other parts of the United States, the Tristate Area has lost its status as the undisputed most important Smash region. It still maintains a large and active tournament scene to this day, however. It is considered to be one of the two strongest regions for Project M in the world (the other being Southern California), with 13 PMRanked players and multiple other unranked threats.

Globally ranked players
These Tristate players were ranked on the SSBMRank 2022. These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
 * (New York City): 42nd on the 2019 MPGR.
 * (Long Island): 59th on the 2018 MPGR.
 * (New York City): 39th on the 2014 SSBMRank. Currently banned.
 * (New York City): Known for playing one of the most technical players, as well as being the former best  in the world. 6th on the 2013 SSBMRank.
 * (New York City): 91st on the 2017 SSBMRank.
 * (New York City): 19th on the 2017 SSBMRank. Currently banned.
 * (New Jersey): One of the Five Gods. 1st on the RetroSSBMRank 2007 and RetroSSBMRank 2008. Currently resides in Florida.
 * (New York): One of the best players in the world from 2006-2007 before retiring from the game. 3rd on the RetroSSBMRank 2006.
 * (New York City): 73rd on the 2019 MPGR.
 * (New Jersey): 11th on the 2016 SSBMRank.
 * (New York City): 49th on the 2014 SSBMRank. Currently resides in Connecticut.
 * (New York City): 96th on the 2018 MPGR.
 * (New Jersey): 98th on the 2017 SSBMRank.

Other notable players

 * (Long Island)
 * (New York City): One of the most famous Melee commentators. Currently banned.
 * (New York City)
 * (New Jersey)
 * (Long Island): One of the most famous Melee commentators; lived in New York during much of his Smash career.
 * (New Jersey)
 * (New York City)

Major tournaments hosted
A list of significant regional and national Melee events hosted in the Tristate Area; nationals are highlighted in bold.

Globally ranked players
These Tristate players were ranked on Brawl Central's 2020-2022 SSBBRank.

These Tristate players were ranked on CLASH Tournaments' 2014 SSBBRank. These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
 * (New Jersey): 19th on the RetroSSBBRank 2009

Other notable players

 * (New Jersey): An old school player most known for his prominence in doubles.
 * (New York City): An old school player renowned for playing a variety of characters at a professional level.
 * (New Jersey): A top Lucario player in the United States when he was active.

Major tournaments hosted
A list of significant regional and national Brawl events hosted in the Tristate Area; nationals are highlighted in bold.

Globally ranked players
These Tristate players were ranked on the Panda Global Rankings 100.

Other notable players

 * (New Jersey): One of the first top level Donkey Kong players in the world.
 * (New York City): The best Wii Fit Trainer player in the world.
 * (New York City): Known as a major innovator of Diddy Kong's early metagame.
 * (New York City): The best Greninja player in the United States.

Globally ranked players
These Tristate players were ranked on the LumiRank Mid-Year 2023. These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
 * (Long Island}: 93rd on the OrionRank 2019. Currently banned.
 * (New Jersey): 102nd on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
 * (Long Island): 46th on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
 * (New York City): 146th on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
 * (Philadelphia): The best Falco player in the early metagame. 81st on the OrionRank 2019.
 * (New Jersey): The best Palutena player in the early metagame. 4th on the Fall 2019 PGRU.
 * (New Jersey): The best Chrom player in the United States during the early metagame. 18th on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
 * (New York City): One of the best Yoshi players in the early metagame. 49th on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
 * (Philadelphia): The current best Bowser Jr. player in the world. 132nd on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
 * (Philadelphia): 2nd best Meta Knights in the world. 7th in Philadelphia Power Rankings and 159th on the OrionRank 2022/North America

Other notable players

 * (New York City): The best Robin player in the early metagame.
 * (New York City): One of the best Captain Falcon players in the early metagame.
 * (New York City): One of the best Greninja players in the United States.

Globally ranked players
These players were ranked on the PMRank 2022. These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:
 * (Long Island): 19th on the PMRank 2017.
 * (Long Island): 25th on the PMRank 2018.
 * (New Jersey): 11th on the PMRank 2016.
 * (New York City): The best Ike player in the world. 11th on the PMRank 2018.
 * (New York City): The best Mewtwo player in 2016. 13th on the PMRank 2016.
 * (New York City): The best Mario player in the early years. 7th on the PMRank 2016.
 * (New York City): 17th on the PMRank 2016.
 * (New York City): The best Ice Climbers player in 2016-2017. 15th on the PMRank 2017.
 * (New Jersey): 50th on the PMRank 2016.
 * (New York City): One of the best Ness players in the world. 14th on the PMRank 2017.
 * (New Jersey): The best Wolf player in the world. 2nd on the PMRank 2018.
 * (New York City): The best Zelda player in 2016: 32nd on the PMRank 2016.

Other notable players

 * (Philadelphia)
 * (New York City)