Tristate Area

The Tristate Area according to the Smash community definition. Regions rarely considered part of Tristate are shaded lighter. New York City and Philadelphia are highlighted in yellow.

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 New York metropolitan area, the competitive Super Smash Bros. community also includes in the term the Philadelphia metropolitan area 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 Alex Strife and Keitaro, 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. However it still maintains a large and active tournament scene to this day thanks to Collision and Luminosity Makes Moves, both of which took Apex's place as Tristate's premier tournament series. 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.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Notable players

Globally ranked players

These Tristate players were ranked on the SSBMRank 2022.

SSBMRank	Name	Notes
4	Cody Schwab  (New York City)	The current best Fox player in the world.
9	SluG  (Philadelphia)	The current best Ice Climbers player in the world.
16	Aklo  (Long Island)	The best Link player in the world.
33	TheSWOOPER  (New Jersey)	The current best Samus player in the world.
37	Jflex  (New Jersey)
40	Swift  (Long Island)	Currently resides in Maryland.
41	2saint  (New York City)
43	Rishi  (New York City)
58	Bbatts  (New Jersey)
60	Wally  (New Jersey)
66	Chem  (Long Island/Philadelphia)
68	Mot$  (New Jersey)
71	Dawson  (Philadelphia)
81	JJM  (New Jersey)
89	404Cray  (New Jersey)

These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:

• Captain Smuckers  (New York City): 42nd on the 2019 MPGR.
• Darktooth  (Long Island): 59th on the 2018 MPGR.
• DJ Nintendo  (New York City): 39th on the 2014 SSBMRank. Currently banned.
• Hax$  (New York City): Known for playing one of the most technical Fox players, as well as being the former best Captain Falcon in the world. 6th on the 2013 SSBMRank.
• Kaeon  (New York City): 91st on the 2017 SSBMRank.
• La Luna  (New York City): 19th on the 2017 SSBMRank. Currently banned.
• Mew2King  (New Jersey): One of the Five Gods. 1st on the RetroSSBMRank 2007 and RetroSSBMRank 2008. Currently resides in Florida.
• PC Chris  (New York): One of the best players in the world from 2006-2007 before retiring from the game. 3rd on the RetroSSBMRank 2006.
• Ryobeat  (New York City): 73rd on the 2019 MPGR.
• Swedish Delight  (New Jersey): 11th on the 2016 SSBMRank.
• SwiftBass  (New York City): 49th on the 2014 SSBMRank. Currently resides in Connecticut.
• vortex  (New York City): 96th on the 2018 MPGR.
• Zealous5000  (New Jersey): 98th on the 2017 SSBMRank.

Other notable players

• Animal  (Long Island)
• D1 (New York City): One of the most famous Melee commentators. Currently banned.
• Leighton  (New York City)
• Mr. F  (New Jersey)
• Prog (Long Island): One of the most famous Melee commentators; lived in New York during much of his Smash career.
• PudgyPanda  (New Jersey)
• Whiskers  (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.

Name	Entrants	Date	Notes
Smash 4 Cash	<40	June 2004	As one of the earliest tournaments in New York City, many details concerning entrants and exact date have been lost.
MLG New York 2004		October 24th, 2004
MLG New York 2005		February 25-26th, 2006
MLG New York Opener 2006	143	April 21st-23rd, 2006
MLG New York Playoffs 2006	208	October 13th-14th, 2006
MLG Long Island 2007	71	May 5th-6th, 2007
Revival of Melee	136	March 7th-8th, 2009	The first Melee national following the release of Brawl.
Revival of Melee 2	159	November 21st-22nd, 2009
Apex 2010	220	August 6th-8th, 2010
Revival of Melee 3	163	November 20th-21st, 2010
Zenith 2011	83	May 28th-29th, 2011
Revival of Melee 4	110	November 19th-20th, 2011
Apex 2012	318	January 6th-8th, 2012	A series-wide supermajor.
Zenith 2012	92	May 26-27th, 2012
Revival of Melee 5	114	November 17th-18th, 2012	Following the winners' semifinals set between Mew2King and Unknown522, the event became a major landmark in the handling of tournament direction and rule violations.
Apex 2013	336	January 11th-13th, 2013	A series-wide supermajor.
Zenith 2013	126	June 1st-2nd, 2013
Revival of Melee 6	118	November 16th-17th, 2013
Apex 2014	629	January 17th-19th, 2014	A series-wide supermajor; at the time, the largest grassroots Melee event and the second-largest Melee tournament ever, behind only EVO 2013.
Revival of Melee 7	113	March 8th-9th, 2014
SKTAR 3	237	May 31st-June 1st, 2014
Zenith 2014	281	August 2nd-3rd, 2014
Justice 4		October 11th, 2014
Apex 2015	1,037	January 30th-February 1st, 2015	A series-wide supermajor; at the time, the largest Melee tournament ever.
NeoNebulous 7	171	March 29th, 2015
Super Nebulous 3	198	April 25th-26th, 2015
Nebulous Prime 1	129	August 14th-16th, 2015
SKTAR 4	93	August 22nd-23rd, 2016
Shots Fired 2	125	March 5h-6th, 2016
Super Nebulous 4		March 27th, 2016
Apex 2016	159	June 17th-19th, 2016	Following the controversies of Apex 2015, its Melee event was diminished in size to a regional.
Collision XIV	43	September 3rd, 2016
Olympus	93	October 28th-30th, 2016
Apollo	144	January 7th-8th, 2017
Apollo 2	86	February 11th, 2017
Apollo IV	103	April 8th, 2017
The Scarlet Classic III	78	April 23rd, 2017
The Scarlet Classic IV	213	April 15th, 2018
NYXL Pop-Up!	98	December 22nd, 2018
Scarlet Classic V	162	April 14th, 2019
Defend the North 2019	90	July 19th-21st, 2019

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Notable players

Globally ranked players

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

SSBBRank	Name	Notes
5	Dabuz  (New York)	One of the best Olimar players in the United States.
9	Chia  (Philadelphia)	Founder of CLASH Tournaments, one of the largest Smash streaming groups in the early 2010s.
10	Kyoz  (New Jersey)
14	Vex Kasrani  (Philadelphia)	The best solo King Dedede player from 2013-2014.
HM	Max Power  (New Jersey)

These Tristate players were ranked on CLASH Tournaments' 2014 SSBBRank.

SSBBRank	Name	Notes
1	Nairo  (New Jersey)	One of the best players in the world during his prime in 2012-2014.
3	ZeRo	Although originally from Chile, ZeRo spent much of his Brawl career living in the Tristate Area, where he quickly rose to become one of the best players in the world.
5	Mew2King  (New Jersey)	Brawl's undisputed best player in its early years, and he still remained one its best players throughout its lifetime. Originally from New Jersey and spent most of his Brawl career living in the Tristate Area, but also spent time living in Ohio and Georgia.
7	ADHD  (New Jersey)	One of the best players in the United States and the world throughout Brawl's lifetime.
9	Vinnie  (Long Island)	Lived in New York for most of Brawl's lifetime, but briefly moved to Texas.
11	Anti  (Long Island)	One of the best Meta Knight players in the United States and the world.
12	NAKAT (New York City)	Quickly rose to prominence as a top Ice Climbers player in 2013.
18	Salem  (New Jersey)	Famous for winning Apex 2013, the second-largest Brawl tournament of all time.
29	Xzax  (Philadelphia)
39	Will  (Long Island)	The best Donkey Kong player in the world.
42	Orion  (New Jersey)	Lives in New Jersey, but also spent time in the Netherlands during his Brawl career for school.
48	Atomsk  (New Jersey)	Known as one of the best players in the United States during his prime from 2009-2011.
54	False  (New Jersey)	Also known for his dominance in doubles with Nakat.
59	Jbandrew  (New Jersey)
66	Shadow  (New York)	One of the top Meta Knights on the East Coast during the early stages of Brawl.
80	Keitaro  (New Jersey)	Known as the tournament director of the KTAR and SKTAR tournament series.
81	Kingtoon  (Philadelphia)	One of the best Toon Link players in North America.
90	Malcolm  (New Jersey)
91	Jtails  (New York City)

These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:

• Ksizzle  (New Jersey): 19th on the RetroSSBBRank 2009

Other notable players

• Inui  (New Jersey): An old school player most known for his prominence in doubles.
• NinjaLink  (New York City): An old school player renowned for playing a variety of characters at a professional level.
• Zucco  (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.

Name	Entrants	Date	Notes
Clash of the Titans IV	249	February 7th-8th, 2009
Apex 2009	210	May 9th-10th, 2009
KTAR	45	December 6th, 2009
KTAR 2	74	March 20th, 2010
Apex 2010	269	August 6th-8th, 2010
KTAR 3	74	September 25th, 2010
KTAR 4	77	January 15th, 2011
KTAR 5	116	May 21st, 2011
Clash of the Titans 5		June 25th-26th, 2011
KTAR 6	130	August 14th, 2011
Apex 2012	400	January 6th-8th, 2012	A series-wide supermajor; the largest Brawl tournament of all time.
Clash of the Titans 6		June 2nd, 2012
SKTAR	140	July 14th-15th, 2012
Apex 2013	338	January 11th-13th, 2013	A series-wide supermajor; the third-largest Brawl tournament of all time.
KTAR 7	55	July 6th-7th, 2013
SKTAR 2	141	August 3rd-4th, 2013
KTAR 8	44	December 28th, 2013
Apex 2014	370	January 17th-19th, 2014	A series-wide supermajor; the second-largest Brawl tournament of all time.
KTAR 9	33	March 22nd, 2014
SKTAR 3	97	May 31st-June 1st, 2014	The last Brawl national before the release of Smash 4.
Apex 2015	176	January 30th-February 1st, 2015

Super Smash Bros. 4

Notable players

Globally ranked players

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

PG ranking	Name	Notes
2	Nairo  (New Jersey)	One of the best players of all time.
4	Dabuz  (New York City)	One of the best players of all time.
14	ANTi  (New York City)	One of the best Mario players of all time.
34	6WX  (Philadelphia)	One of the best Sonic players of all time.
36	Vinnie  (Long Island)	One of the best Sheik players in the United States.
37	Mr. E  (New York City)	The best Lucina player in the world and the second best Marth player in the world.
54	Shoyo James  (New Jersey)	One of the best Diddy Kong players in the United States.
85	Sinji  (New York City)	The best Pac-Man player in the world.

Other notable players

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

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Notable players

Globally ranked players

These Tristate players were ranked on the LumiRank Mid-Year 2023.

LumiRank	Name	Notes
5	Tweek  (New Jersey)	One of the best players of all time.
13	Zomba  (New York City)	The best R.O.B. player in the world and one of the best players in the United States during 2023.
24	Dabuz  (New York City)	The best Rosalina & Luma player in the world, as well as one of the best Olimar and Min Min players in the world.
45	Jakal  (New Jersey)	The best Wolf player in the world.
48	Quidd  (New York)	One of the best Pokémon Trainer players in the world.
Top 70	Tilde  (New York City)	The best Falco player in the world.
Top 80	Quandale Dinglelingleton  (New York City)	One of the best Steve players in the United States.
Top 120	Mr. E  (New York City)	The best Lucina player in the United States.
Top 150	Syrup  (New Jersey)	One of the best Ness and Steve players in the United States.

These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:

• ANTi  (Long Island}: 93rd on the OrionRank 2019. Currently banned.
• Atomsk  (New Jersey): 102nd on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
• Frozen  (Long Island): 46th on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
• John Numbers  (New York City): 146th on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
• Juice  (Philadelphia): The best Falco player in the early metagame. 81st on the OrionRank 2019.
• Nairo  (New Jersey): The best Palutena player in the early metagame. 4th on the Fall 2019 PGRU.
• Rivers  (New Jersey): The best Chrom player in the United States during the early metagame. 18th on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
• Suarez  (New York City): One of the best Yoshi players in the early metagame. 49th on the Spring 2019 PGRU.
• Yoda Cage  (Philadelphia): The current best Bowser Jr. player in the world. 132nd on the OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse.
• BONK!  (Philadelphia): 2nd best Meta Knights in the world. 7th in Philadelphia Power Rankings and 159th on the OrionRank 2022/North America

Other notable players

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

Project M/Project+

Notable players

Globally ranked players

These players were ranked on the PMRank 2023.

PMRank	Name	Notes
1	dvd (New Jersey)	The best Sheik/Toon Link player in the world.
6	Malachi(New York City)	The best Zero Suit Samus main in the world.
7	Phresh (New York City)	The 2nd Best Ice Climbers player in the world.
11	Kycse (Connecticut)	The Best Charizard main in the world.
15	Shiny Zubat (New Jersey)
18	Bongo (Long Island)
19	WouldSmokeCraq (Connecticut)
20	Switch (New Jersey)	The Best Wolf player in the world
23	Boiko(Long Island)
36	Narq(New York)
HM	Mr. Watch & Learn (New York)
ITM-TB	Aklo (Long Island)

These Tristate players have been ranked globally in the past; their highest placement is listed:

• Aidan (Long Island): 19th on the PMRank 2017.
• Emukiller (New Jersey): 11th on the PMRank 2016.
• Envy (New York City): The best Ike player in the world. 11th on the PMRank 2018.
• Frozen (New York City): The best Mewtwo player in 2016. 13th on the PMRank 2016.
• Gallo (New York City): The best Mario player in the early years. 7th on the PMRank 2016.
• Jaden (New York City): 17th on the PMRank 2016.
• StereoKiDD (New York City): One of the best Ness players in the world. 14th on the PMRank 2017.
• Zhime (New York City): The best Zelda player in 2016: 32nd on the PMRank 2016.

Other notable players

• Dusty (Philadelphia)

See also

Power rankings:

• Tristate Power Rankings
• New Jersey Power Rankings
• New York City Power Rankings
• NY/NJ Project M Power Rankings
• Philadelphia Power Rankings

Smashers:

• New York smashers
• New Jersey smashers
• Pennsylvania smashers

Tournaments:

• New York tournaments
• New Jersey tournaments
• Pennsylvania tournaments