Smasher:MasterLink
| MasterLink | |
|---|---|
| Character info | |
| Melee mains | Dr. Mario, Peach |
| Retired Melee character | Falco |
| Rankings and results info | |
| Best tournament result |  4th / 56 at Royal Treatment |
| Personal and other info | |
| Real name | Julien Nebois |
| Birth date | |
| Location | Dijon, France 
|
MasterLink (often shortened to ML) was a Super Smash Bros. Melee Dr. Mario and Peach player from Dijon, France, who began playing in 2002. He suffered from a physical handicap, which prevented him from traveling to tournaments. As a result, MasterLink's experience in competition would come from smashfests hosted in his parents' house. He was also active in the Home-Run Contest and Multi-Man Melee communities in the early days of Melee in Europe.
He was, despite a lack of tournament results, regarded as among the best players in both France and Europe of the era, praised for his high technical ability for the time. He placed 4th out of 56 at his only recorded tournament, Royal Treatment, notably surpassing all French players but Mysterious, considered the best player in the country at the time. This highly-reputed tournament, held in MasterLink's house, was the largest European tournament yet.
MasterLink passed away on May 17th, 2005 at the age of 17 from respiratory complications following a surgery he underwent years prior. The editor-in-chief of French magazine Nintendo, le magazine officiel dedicated an editorial to him.
Tournament placings[edit]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
| Tournament | Date | 1v1 Placement | 2v2 Placement | Partner | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Treatment | November 1st, 2004 | 4th / 56 | — | — | — |
MasterLink Award[edit]
It was, at the time, common practice for SSBUP tournaments to hand out a honorable mention to a player who showcased significant improvement and/or had a noteworthy tournament run. This honorable mention would become known as the MasterLink Award, as a tribute to MasterLink shortly after his passing. Below is a list of known recipients of the MasterLink Award.
| Tournament | Date | Recipient | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSBMT3 | September 28th, 2003 | Bossofsmash | 
|
| SSBMT4 | February 22nd, 2004 | Kiwi | ? |
| Smash Fest | May 22nd, 2004 | Marth_atak | ? |
| T-Cube | December 3rd, 2004 | Bibo | ? |
| FireFox Tournament I | February 19th, 2005 | Hadès | ? |
| Koopa Klaw Tournament | February 26th, 2005 | SeTT | ? |
| Twisted Hand Tournament | July 24th, 2005 | Wéwel | 
|
| Green Destination Tournament | August 6th-7th, 2005 | Thieum McCloud | 
|
| Don't Ever Hit Down | September 10th-11th, 2005 | Gooba | 
|
| Epita Smash Arena 2 | February 23rd-24th, 2008 | Dindon Masqué |
|
| Dirty South Tournament 12 | September 20th, 2008 | Odaril | 
|
