Smasher:Lampadaires

"pkmvodka"
Team info
Crew(s)	No Mercy feat. pkmvodka
Personal and other info
Location	Saint-Jérôme, QUE
Miscellaneous info
Skill	Professional

pkmvodka is a Canadian professional smasher native to Saint-Jérôme, Québec, and is considered one of the best players in Canada. His main character is Captain Falcon, although he can also play with any other character. pkmvodka is also known simply as "pkm" or "vodka", and is occasionally referred to as "The Canadian Azen".

History

The Beginning

pkmvodka first began playing Super Smash Bros. Melee on December 3, 2001, the day of its release in North America. Having previously played the Nintendo 64's Super Smash Bros. with a friend, he was highly awaiting its sequel in order to obtain and master its gameplay on his own. It was not until 2003 when he was exposed to the advanced techniques of the game. After watching Taka's 11k Ganon video, his dream was to achieve such a high score, which is presumably where pkmvodka became a dedicated smasher. The following summer, he got his first gasp of competition outside of Saint-Jérôme at La Ronde, where he failed miserably. However, he was determined to get better at the game.

In spring 2004, pkmvodka met smashers chesterr01 and Testrider at Smashfest, only to learn that Testrider was the very player who defeated him in summer 2003. From thereon, pkmvodka got exponentially better, meeting with various other players from around Montréal. He quickly became one of the best players in the city and eventually, players including chesterr01 gradually became training to him.

In August 2005, pkmvodka attended his first out of state tournament, in Toronto, Ontario. Accompanied by chesterr01, they played against many veteran smashers known from the community including MetaKnight0, jv3x3 and sprocket. pkmvodka ranked fifth in the tournament, bested by jv3x3 in the winner's bracket, and by chesterr01 in loser's bracket. By then, he realized how traveling and tournament presence is important to the evolution of a smasher's skill.

The Present

In December 2005, pkmvodka attended No Mercy vs the World, Montreal's first true tournament. This was also the foundation of the crew No Mercy feat. pkmvodka. He ranked first in singles, fourth in doubles (teaming with a friend who at the time was a casual gamer) and first in crews. This was the beginning of his winning streak; pkmvodka went on to rank first in singles for three tournaments in a row.

In August 2006, pkmvodka attended his first American tournament, the Zero Challenge, in Fountain Valley, California. He was accompanied by chesterr01 and Vwins. He ranked twenty-fifth in singles, out of 192 entrants. He was defeated by SOS in the winner's bracket, and by Manacloud in the loser's bracket. The full, final results can be found on Tio.