We recently hosted the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate NA Qualifiers with Nintendo, with over 6500 players battling in over 39,000 games across Canada, United States, and Mexico. With an average of 27 games per person, the competition was intense.

The prize? A ticket to Kyoto, Japan and a chance to compete in the finals at Nintendo Live.

After a day of heated competition, our four qualifiers emerged victorious. We recently spoke with the champions about their background, Smash experience, and the mindset that led them to victory.

First off.. Congrats again! How do you feel about being one of the finalists going to Japan to compete in Nintendo Live?

YoseFu: Things this significant always take a bit of time to set in for me. As of right now I just think it’s “cool”, but I can guarantee I’ll be freaking out over this opportunity in a few days.

Epic_Gabriel: I’M SO HAPPY!

Heeew: Feels surreal. I actually won the previous Nintendo Open but never did I imagine I’d be qualified back to back. The adrenaline after the qualifying match was through the roof, never felt that way in any set ever. I felt relief, excitement, shock, and stress all at once.

Wrath: I feel great about going to Japan and being one of the finalists for Nintendo Live! It’s going to be a great experience for me overall!

Follow YoseFu on Twitter here!

What’s your training process?

YoseFu: My training over the past 4 years has consisted mostly of playing online with some IRL tournaments here and there.

Epic_Gabriel: I don’t work a full time job and i’m not a student anywhere… so i have all the time in the world. Smash is my main competitive game and I’ve been playing since around 2016!

Heeew: For my training process, going to locals was a big help as it really helps you get used to the stress and nerves that come with competing. Improving skill-wise, playing online is something I did a lot. I would save my replays and study to see where I went wrong, what I did right, and possible solutions in different scenarios. you don’t always have to travel to improve your game.

Wrath: My training process is mostly just watching my vods and understanding what mistakes I’m making and then trying to apply what I’ve learned from that into my play. Mostly what you would do for traditional sports like when athletes watch tapes of their previous games.

Follow Epic_Gabriel on Twitter here!

What’s your secret? Do you have any advice for other players trying to improve their game?

YoseFu: Push yourself hard, but recognize the importance of taking a break!

Epic_Gabriel: I don’t really go into the lab and lab stuff, just enter a lot of IRL tournaments and wifi tournaments and grind those out till you get better.

Heeew: There’s no secret except practice as much as you can. If I could give one piece of advice to someone looking to improve, study your losses. There’s nothing more important than seeing what you did wrong and how to fix it.

Wrath: I don’t particularly have any secret I just practice to be honest. If you’re a beginner try to practice your movement because it’s a platform fighter and that’s going to be extremely important.

Are you going to be competing in any other tournaments? Which ones?

YoseFu: I don’t have a very specific schedule, but I try to go to whatever I can in the MS/TN area.

Epic_Gabriel: Obviously some weeklies here and there but the big tournaments i don’t really have the funds to make it to that many. I am only confirmed for Dreamhack Atlanta and Genesis 7 at the moment.

Heeew: At this moment, I don’t plan to go to tourneys due to cost and time. Being a broke full-time college student is tough, and traveling far for tourneys is a luxury I currently do not have. I really hope in the future if a team picks me up or I somehow gain much more free-time.

Wrath: Yea! Actually I play this game competitively/professionally so I go to other tournaments quite frequently. I’m currently planning on trying to go to the Big House but it all depends on how my schedule works out.

Want to connect with Heeew? He’s on Youtube, Discord, Twitter, and Twitch!

Who are your top characters in Smash? Why do you like them?

YoseFu: I play Simon and pretty much only Simon. I’m a bit of a fake fan of Castlevania since I’ve only played 2 games, but I liked the 2 I played enough to want to play Simon. Very glad I was able to make him work for me.

Epic_Gabriel: R.O.B. but I also have several other good characters like Roy, Snake, etc etc. I picked up R.O.B. back in smash 4 because I fell in love with his combos with gyro and all his kill moves and his down throw up air aka beep boop!

Heeew: My best character has to be the Belmonts. No other character in any Smash game can zone like how they do with their long disjoints and amazing projectiles. Their play style just clicked with me, and I can see I have much more to learn with them.

Wrath: My top characters in Smash as of right now are Joker and Sonic. I like them because I really enjoy their games. More so Jokers game because as of right now Persona 5 is my favorite game of all time while Sonic’s story for me is something I grew up with.

Do you have a professional player you look up to? A favorite esports team?

YoseFu: My favorite players to watch would be pretty much anyone I know from my region (shoutouts to my Memphis homies).

Epic_Gabriel: Not really, I never try to be like other top players. I try to become something no one has ever seen, the best of the best. I like teams like Liquid, TSM, Envy just for their benefits, plus I want to travel more!

Heeew: Professional players I look up to, T3 Dome, Nitro, and Riddles are the best Belmonts to watch and study. A top player I like the most outside of Belmont players would be Leffen, his personality and gameplay are always the most entertaining thing in the scene. For esports teams, TSM would be my obvious pick and Smash United, the local Houston team.

Wrath: I don’t have a professional player that I look up to right now but if I REALLY had to say I think I’m my biggest inspiration sometimes!

You can follow Wrath on Twitter and Twitch!

Any last words of wisdom for all the aspiring competitors out there?

YoseFu: Keep grinding.

Epic_Gabriel: Everyone can be viable character. Some more than others but don’t pay attention to tier list to decide who your going to main. As long as you have a good mindset and put your heart to it you can achieve anything, even with the worst characters in the game. Remember how good I was in Smash 4? I played only R.O.B. and I still got results even though he was trash but I didn’t care.

Heeew: It’s not an easy road. It takes passion, dedication, and practice, x1000. Don’t let a loss, such as this online tourney if you joined, be the reason you quit trying. Everyone has to go through failure before becoming skilled, and I’m no different. Schedule your time, get your important priorities done first, then use your time efficiently to practice.

Wrath: I don’t necessarily have any good words of wisdom but I guess if I had to say something it’s to try your best no matter what.

Thanks for reading our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate community spotlight, and we hope you look forward to more of these in the future. In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest updates and community content.