This article is part of our Super Smash Bros. series.
Super Smash Bros Melee EVO Results
A combined 3,000 of the world's greatest Super Smash Bros players congregated at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in Evolution 2017, or more commonly known as "EVO". It was the swedish-native, Adam "Armada" Lindgren, that commandingly clinched first place against the two-time Evo champ, Joseph "Mang0" Marquez on Sunday. And in Smash 4, Saleem "Salem" Young carried out arguably the most considerable upset of the tournament stealing first place in a pillar-to-post set against TSM's Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios. Here's how things heated up over the course of the three day summer weekend in Vegas.
Melee's finest showed up in bulk numbers at EVO this year with an impressive 1,428 entrants, and the stakes were as high as ever. Mang0 was in notably good form during pools, mercilessly eliminating his opposition and securing himself a good seed in the winner's bracket. Mang0, a previous two-time EVO champion set out into this competition in hopes of becoming the first three-peat EVO winner, however, as it would turn out, Mang0 would face complications later in the bracket in the form of Armada. Subsequently following pools, the bracket brandished a roster of sheer firepower with no shortage of talent, making the run to the finals a particularly grueling affair for veterans and youngsters alike.
Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, represented one of those veteran talents, edging out the likes of both Kevin "PewPewU" Toy and William "Leffen" Hjelte in the winner's bracket in two clean sweeps. Mew2King utilized some interesting combinations throughout the tournament, specifically, using Marth's shieldbreaker, in his set against Leffen to negate the Fox main from getting back onto the stage. Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma and his fearsome Jigglypuff had the support of many fans, with his match against Zachary "SFAT" Cordoni having spectators at the edge of their seats, coming down to the final stock of the set. In an instant, Hungrybox managed to convert a jab-reset into a rest, sending SFAT flying off the stage and into the lower bracket.
In the end, a final four of Hungrybox, Armada, Mew2King and Mang0 would bring the crowd to a near fever pitch. This would set up another installment of the much-anticipated rivalry between Mang0 and Hungrybox. Albeit close, Mang0 would edge out Hungrybox in Game 3 with an up-air, to which Hbox would immediately extend his hand in a congratulatory manner. The stage was then set for Mang0 and Armada to battle it out in Grand Finals. Mang0, a crowd pleaser in every sense of the term, primarily for his aggressive style, was seen utilizing a more defensive approach against Armada. But a constant barrage of attacks would keep Mang0 from getting comfortable on stage, ultimately leading to a Game 4 win for Armada and giving way to the Melee 2017 EVO championship.
Smash 4 EVO 2017 Results
Not to be outdone by its older counterpart, Smash 4 for WiiU headlined EVO 2017 also concluded Sunday night. The premier highlight was undoubtedly MVG's Salem ousting ZeRo in the Grand Finals following a bracket reset and clinching the victory in the most dramatic fashion. Smash 4 also boasted an impressive roster with over 1,500 entrants. Let's take a look at how Salem was able to topple ZeRo and all the drama in between over the course of the three day event.
Smash 4 saw representation from several countries including the USA, Japan, and Mexico, amongst others. The broad range of talent, characters and matchups in itself was enough to set the high intensity pace for the entire tournament. Jestise "MVD" Negron was one of those players that shook up this year's competition as he sports the title of the "second best Diddy Kong" player in the world (next to ZeRo). Up until this point, there had been very few Diddy Kong players competing at the top level; watching MVD's gameplay was a spectacle in itself, comparative to ZeRo, he strung together combinations spectators had otherwise never seen before. MVD would eventually be eliminated by Japanese player Yuta "Abadango" Kawamura who progressed rather deep through the lower bracket before meeting his fate against Nairoby "Nairo" Quezada and his Zero Suit Samus. On the other side of the lower bracket, veteran James "VoiD" Makekau-Tyson would also make an impressive run through the bracket, clinching a spot in the top-8 where he too faced Nairo. In a too-close-to-call best-of-three matchup, VoiD would fall to Nairo in Game 3, utilizing the tether grabs to KO his opponent on multiple occasions.
In the upper bracket of the top-8 we saw ZeRo decimate Gavin "Tweek" Dempsey, then square off in an utter battle against Larry "Larry Lurr" Holland and his Fox. It appeared that the Chilean great would possess a blemish on his otherwise perfect record during EVO 2017 as Larry Lurr took ZeRo to Game 5, but ZeRo managed to clutch up and advance to the Grand Finals. Salem, a Bayonetta main, stealthily progressed through the lower bracket, setting up a Grand Finals match against ZeRo. Salem illustrated a new way of playing Bayonetta at EVO, utilizing bullet arts to apply damage and kill from afar. This style essentially allowed him to win the first set, going to Game 5 in order reset the bracket. The second set once again went to a final Game 5. A tense feeling swept the crowd as ZeRo respawned on his last stock with Salem, also on his last life, easily in KO percentage. ZeRo would need just one smash attack to end the set and secure himself the victory, meanwhile Salem would seemingly need a miracle. He would get just that, using a high recovery off the edge from ZeRo to string together an autograph Bayonetta combo, KOing his opposition off the top of the stage and earning the title of EVO 2017's Smash 4 champion.
