NER: 20-11
Cagt - December 4, 2018
With the end of Smash 4 and Ultimate on the horizon, New England Smash 4 has decided to put together a final Top 50 rankings of the best players the region has seen.
This PR takes all results between 2017-2018 and analyzes the peak wins, placements, and consistency of each player. With New England being a very large region composed of 6 states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont), there are a lot of players that were in the running for this final ranking. However, after analyzing the data, we believe these 50 players represent our region the best.
Without further ado, here is the NER!
No. 20: Ruben "Xion" Rodriguez
While Cloud may be a very strong character, it is not easy to main him in New England, as there are a slew of players who use him or know how to fight him. But that didn't stop Xion - with wins on top NE talent such as Aerial Ace, Glare, Light, LingLing, and Nelvin, he's made himself a household name across the region. Furthermore, he's placed 33rd at Collision XV and Shine 2018. Being consistent in Smash 4 is already hard enough, so seeing him do it out of region proves his skill level. We hope to see him succeed more in Ultimate!
No. 19: Joshua "Pelca" Bedoya
Very few people have the raw skills and fundamentals that the #19 on the NER has. Pelca has been an amazing player since the Brawl days, being ranked multiple times on the SSBB Rankings, as well as New England Brawl. And of course, he's been performing well in Smash 4 as well, beating the likes of Aerial Ace, Cagt, Glare, Light, and Ntarps, on top of placing 9th at Overclocked III and 13th at Immortal Tech. It's no secret that this man is a Smash veteran (as well as a huge Kingdom Hearts fan), and you should absolutely expect him to continue his reign of terror in Ultimate, whether it'd be offline in-region, out of region, or even online.
No. 18: Noel "Ntarps" Tarpey
A notable player of the New England Smash 4 scene, Ntarps hasn't backed down since the release of the game. Originally known for his Captain Falcon, he's later learned the ways of DLC, tri-maining Bayonetta, Cloud, and Corrin in bracket, with a competent Diddy Kong as well, should he ever feel the need to throw back to the hoo-hah days. Regardless, he has beaten Craftis, Kuma, Glare, Raffi-X, Ralphie, and more, as well as placing 17thn at Overclocked II, and 17th at Overclocked IV. And if 5 characters wasn't enough for him, he is also a known counterpicker, having used a slew of charaters in bracket such as Mario, DK, Wario, and many more. With one of the best fundamentals in NE, Ntarps will continue to dominate the scene in the coming years.
No. 17: Anthony "Tony Pajamas" Bombface
While he may not be wearing pajamas to every tournament he goes, he is most definitely performing well everytime he shows up. With wins over Chavo, IceArrow, John Numbers, Kuma, and Raffi-X, Tony Pajamas is not scared of competition, especially in a DLC-heavy meta. He's also very consistent at large events, placing 13th at both of the latest Overclocked - III & IV. With a trusty Mewtwo secondary at his side, he has been a dominant force of the CT scene, and we hope to see him grow even more during the Ultimate metagame.
No. 16: Liam "AerialAce" Giannico
A player that has often been in the shadows of New England's history due to not having a heavy social media presence or not travelling outside his home state very often, AerialAce has always been quietly building up his resume of strong performances. Getting wins on Gen, Light, Pugwest, Scot, and Xion is no easy feat, and with a 17th place finish at Shine 2018 and a 33rd place finish at The Big House 8, this ex-Pit main turned Marth & Mewtwo will definitely continue to strive for success in Ultimate. While he may often be questionned for his opinions, rest assured no one is questionning his skills at the game.
No. 15: Brent "DM" Lee
We've talked a lot about young talent on the NER, but this is probably the youngest of them all. Competing in New England since Middle School, DM has been rising up the ranks ever since he started competing. With wins over Craftis, Kuma, Marss, MattyG, and Pugwest, as well as winning the New England Arcadian II, this electric Pikachu player has always been working hard to improve his game on his free time. An avid memer on social media and no stranger to fancy combo videos on YouTube, you can be sure to see more of this young player in the coming future!
No. 14: Scott "Scot" Burnett Jr.
Very few players have reached the same amount of passion and dedication for improving at Smash than Scot has. Coming in at the #14 spot of the NER, Scot has beaten notable players such as Angel Cortes, Koolaid, Light, Mr. E, and Raptor, amongst others. Additionally, he has placed 3rd at CT Gamercon 2 and 13 at Overclocked III. Consistently on the hunt to improve his game, he's been fiending tournaments left and right since he started playing, and has even picked up a Diddy Kong and Mario along the way to help push his results further. In any case, be prepared to see more of him in tournament in the upcoming years.
No. 13: Jonathan "Kogarasuma" Rivera
Many players prefer to use Marth as their main character, or have Lucina as a pocket secondary. But very few choose to wield her blade as their main weapon of choice, and that's what Kogarasuma did. After being consistently ranked #10 on multiple New England PRs, Kogarasuma has beaten the likes of Dath, Light, LingLing, S2H, and Xzax, as well as placing 33rd at Too Hot to Handle and 49th at CEO 2017. While he may have spent a part of his career in Northern Florida, that hasn't stopped him from improving at the game, and now that he's back in his home state of Connecticut, we hope to see him perform even better in Ultimate.
No. 12: Cyrus "Cagt" Gharakhanian
One of the most active members of the New England Smash 4 community both in and out of the game, Cagt comes in at the #12 spot of the NER. With wins over the likes of Komorikiri, Koolaid, Marss, MattyG, and Pandarian, as well as a 49th finish at GENESIS 5 and a 65th place finish at Super Smash Con 2018, he has surpassed many people's expectations, all while maining two characters who are universally considered low tier: Little Mac and Roy. While he will be moving to Florids in 2019, we hope to see him continue his success in bracket and in the esports industry.
No. 11: John "Axiom XL" Smith Sr.
Regarded as one of the most consistent players in New England and one of the hardest to upset, Axiom XL seals his spot on the NER at #11. Playing one of the most defensive and efficient Clouds there is, he has made himself an almost impenetrable wall, and has gotten wins on players such as Craftis, Koolaid, LingLing, Marss, and Pugwest, as well as placing 13th at Overclocked and 17th at Overclocked II. Playing this man is a true test of patience and adaptation, and it is no easy feat to take down this giant of the New England scene. Be prepared to see more of him in the coming years!
Panelists:
- Jon "ActualGarbage" Hoyt - @Actual_Garbage_
- Seth "Big Spill" Kary - @BiGSPiLL_
- Cyrus "Cagt" Gharakhanian - @Cagt3000
- Riley "Captain Q" Freeman - @CaptainQssb
- Darius "Koolaid" Hill - @LaidFitness
- Dylan "Mr Escalator" Smith - @MrEscalator
Follow the @NESmashEvents twitter page to keep up with the rest of the NER!
All descriptions and graphics are written and designed by Cagt.
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