Tristate Area
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. Nevertheless, the region remains one of the strongest regions in all of competitive play, featuring many of Smash's best players, including Cody Schwab, Dabuz, Malachi, Nairo, and Tweek, and maintaining a large and active tournament scene thanks to the Collision and Luminosity Makes Moves series, both of which took Apex's place as Tristate's premier tournament series.
Smashers[edit]
The following players are currently or were previously ranked. Their highest placement is listed.
Globally ranked players[edit]
Tag | Character(s) | Best placement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2saint (New York) | MPGR 2019: 35th | ||
404Cray (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2022: 89th | ||
6WX (Pennsylvania) | PGR v1: 20th | ||
ADHD (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2016-2017: 2nd | ||
Aidan (New York) | PMRank 2017: 19th | ||
Aklo (New York) | SSBMRank 2023: 10th | ||
ANTi (New York) | SSBBRank 2018-2019: 2nd PGR v2: 9th OrionRank 2019: 93rd |
||
Atomsk (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2016-2017: 13th OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse: 102nd |
||
Bbatts (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2023: 36th | ||
Boiko (New York) | PMRank 2023: 23rd | ||
Bongo (New York) | PMRank 2023: 18th | ||
BONK! (Pennsylvania) | OrionRank Mid-Year 2022: 143rd | ||
Captain Smuckers (New York) | MPGR 2019: 42nd | ||
Chem (New York/Pennsylvania) | SSBMRank 2023: 25th | ||
Chia | 2023 SSBBRank: 8th | Founder of CLASH Tournaments, one of the largest Smash streaming groups in the early 2010s. | |
Cody Schwab (New York) | SSBMRank 2023: 1st | ||
Dabuz (New York) | SSBBRank 2020-2022: 5th OrionRank 2018: 3rd OrionRank 2019: 7th |
||
Darktooth (New York) | MPGR 2018: 59th | ||
Dawson (Pennsylvania) | SSBMRank 2022: 71st | ||
DJ Nintendo (New York) | SSBMRank 2014: 39th | ||
DKwill (New York) | SSBBRank 2014: 39th | ||
dvd (New Jersey) | PMRank 2023: 1st | ||
Emukiller (New Jersey) | PMRank 2016: 11th | ||
Envy (New York) | PMRank 2018: 11th | ||
False (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 54th PGR v1: 35th |
Moved to Ohio in 2017. | |
Frozen (New York) | OrionRank 2016: 86th Spring 2019 PGRU: 46th PMRank 2016 |
||
Gallo (New York) | PMRank 2016: 7th | ||
Hax$ (New York) | SSBMRank 2013: 6th | ||
Jaden (New York) | PMRank 2016: 17th | ||
Jakal (New Jersey) | OrionRank 2022: 30th | ||
Jbandrew (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 59th | ||
Jflex (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2022: 37th | ||
JJM (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2022: 81st | ||
John Numbers (New York) | OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse: 146th | ||
Jtails (New York) | SSBBRank 2014: 91st | ||
Juice (Pennsylvania) | OrionRank 2019: 81st | ||
Kaeon (New York) | SSBMRank 2017: 91st | ||
Keitaro (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 80th | Known as the tournament director of the KTAR and SKTAR tournament series. | |
Kingtoon (Pennsylvania) | SSBBRank 2014: 81st | ||
Kyoz (New Jersey) | 2023 SSBBRank: 10th | ||
La Luna (New York) | SSBMRank 2017: 19th | ||
Malachi (New York) | PMRank 2019: 1st | ||
Malcolm (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 90th | ||
Marcus (New Jersey) | Spring 2019 PGRU: 43rd | ||
Max Power (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2020-2022: HM | ||
Mew2King (New Jersey) | RetroSSBMRank 2008: 1st SSBBRank 2014: 5th |
Widely considered the greatest Smash player of all-time and one of the Five Gods. Moved out of Tristate in 2014. | |
Mot$ (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2022: 68th | ||
MPg (Pennsylvania) | OrionRank Mid-Year 2022: 132nd | ||
Mr. E (New York) | PGR v2: 18th Spring 2019 PGRU: 38th |
||
Mr. Watch & Learn (New York) | PMRank 2019: 25th | ||
NAKAT (New York/New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 12th PGR v1: 34th |
Moved to SoCal in 2016. | |
Nairo (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2018-2019: 1st PGR 100: 2nd Fall 2019 PGRU: 4th |
||
Narq (New York) | PMRank 2019: 33rd | ||
Orion (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 42nd | ||
PC Chris (New York) | RetroSSBMRank 2006: 3rd | ||
Phresh (New York) | PMRank 2023: 7th | ||
Quandale Dinglelingleton (New York) | UltRank 2022: 80th | ||
Quidd (New York) | OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse: 44th | ||
Rishi (New York) | MPGR 2018: 26th | ||
Rivers (New Jersey) | PGR v5: 35th Spring 2019 PGRU: 18th |
||
Ryobeat (New York) | MPGR 2019: 73rd | ||
Salem (New Jersey) | SSBBRank 2014: 18th OrionRank 2016: 8th |
Moved to Florida in 2016. | |
Shadow (New York) | SSBBRank 2014: 66th | ||
Shiny Zubat (New Jersey) | PMRank 2023: 15th | ||
Sinji (New York) | OrionRank 2018: 42nd Spring 2019 PGRU: 25th |
||
SluG (Pennsylvania) | SSBMRank 2022: 9th | ||
StereoKiDD (New York) | PMRank 2017: 14th | ||
Stocktaker69 (New York) | OrionRank Mid-Year 2022: HM | ||
Suarez (New York) | Spring 2019 PGRU: 49th | ||
Swedish Delight (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2016: 11th | ||
Switch (New Jersey) | PMRank 2018: 2nd | ||
Syrup (New Jersey) | LumiRank 2024.1: 33rd | ||
TheSWOOPER (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2022: 33rd | ||
Tilde (New York) | OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse: 29th | ||
Tweek (New Jersey) | OrionRank 2019: 2nd | One of the greatestUltimate players of all-time. Resided in the Midwest in Smash 4 and the first half of 2019. | |
UtopianRay (New York) | OrionRank Ultimate: Six Months In: 74th | ||
Vex Kasrani (Pennsylvania) | SSBBRank 2018-2019: 13th | ||
Vinnie (New York) | SSBBRank 2016-2017: 4th PGR v1: 18th |
||
vortex (New York) | MPGR 2018: 96th | ||
Wally (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2022: 60th | ||
Xzax (Pennsylvania) | SSBBRank 2014: 29th | Moved out of Tristate at the start of Smash 4 | |
Yoda Cage (Pennsylvania) | OrionRank Ultimate: Eclipse: 132nd | ||
Zanguzen (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2014: 46th | ||
Zealous5000 (New Jersey) | SSBMRank 2017: 98th | ||
ZeRo | SSBBRank 2014: 3rd | 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. | |
Zhime (New York) | PMRank 2016: 32nd | ||
Zomba (New York) | LumiRank 2024.1: 14th |
Nationally ranked players[edit]
Tag | Character(s) | Best placement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Jul (New York) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 152nd | ||
BlazingPasta (Pennsylvania) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 83rd | ||
Cee (New York) | LumiRank 2023 North America: 112th | ||
Elam (New York) | LumiRank 2023 North America: 116th | ||
fawn (New York) | LumiRank 2023 North America: 129th | ||
GuyGuy (New York) | LumiRank 2023 North America: 107th | ||
KingArc (New York) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 171st | ||
Kofi (New York) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 144th | ||
NickC (New York) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 56th | ||
Odyssey (New Jersey/New York) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 129th | ||
PkChris (New York) | LumiRank 2023 North America: 155th | ||
Raptor (New York) | OrionRank North America Top 200: 191st | ||
Steffen (New Jersey) | LumiRank 2023 North America: 195th |
Other notable players[edit]
Tag | Character(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|
D1 (New York) | One of the most famous Smash commentators. Currently banned. | |
Ksizzle (New Jersey) | Nairo's brother. One of the best Brawl players in Tristate at his prime. | |
NinjaLink (New York City) | An old school player renowned for playing a variety of characters. | |
Prog (Long Island) | One of the most famous Melee commentators who lived in New York during most of his Smash career. |
Tournaments[edit]
- See also: Category:New York tournaments, Category:New Jersey tournaments, Category:Pennsylvania tournaments
Notable tournament series[edit]
Tournament series that have achieved recognition outside their local region.
Tournament | Games | Type | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Apex (New Jersey) | Annual | Discontinued | |
Apollo (New York) | Monthly | Discontinued | |
B-Airs (Pennsylvania) | Weekly | Ongoing | |
BrookLAN (New York) | Weekly | Ongoing | |
Collision (New York/New Jersey) | Annual | Ongoing | |
Defend the North (New York) | Annual | Ongoing | |
Encore (New York) | Weekly/Monthly | Ongoing | |
Failsafe (New Jersey) | Biannual | Ongoing | |
Fireside Open (New Jersey) | Annual | Ongoing | |
Keystoned (Pennsylvania) | Annual | Ongoing | |
KTAR (New Jersey) | Unscheduled | Discontinued | |
Luminosity Makes Moves (New York) | Annual | Ongoing | |
Nebulous (New York) | Weekly | Discontinued | |
Revival of Melee (New York) | Annual | Discontinued | |
Scarlet Classic (New Jersey) | Annual | Ongoing | |
SKTAR (New Jersey) | Annual | Discontinued | |
Smashadelphia (Pennsylvania) | Annual | Ongoing | |
The Function (New York) | Annual | Discontinued | |
The Nightclub (New York) | Annual | Discontinued | |
We Tech Those (Pennsylvania) | Annual | Discontinued | |
Xeno/XenoSaga (New York) | Weekly/Monthly | Ongoing | |
Yoshi's Island (New York) | Annual | ||
Zenith | Annual | Discontinued |
Notable tournaments[edit]
Tournaments that featured at least one game at a superregional level.
Tournament | Date | Entrants | Supermajor | Major | Superregional | Other |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MLG New York 2004 (New York) | October 24th, 2004 | ??? | — | — | — | |
MLG New York 2005 (New Jersey) | February 25th-26th, 2006 | 32+ | — | — | — | |
MLG New York Opener 2006 (New Jersey) | April 21st-23rd, 2006 | 143+ | — | — | — | |
MLG New York Playoffs 2006 (New York) | October 13th-14th, 2006 | 208+ | — | — | — | |
MLG Long Island 2007 (New York) | May 5th-6th, 2007 | 71+ | — | — | — | |
Revival of Melee (New York) | March 7th-8th, 2009 | 136+ | — | — | — | |
Clash of the Titans IV (Pennsylvania) | February 7th-8th, 2009 | 249+ | — | — | — | |
Apex 2009 (New Jersey) | May 9th-10th, 2009 | 200+ | — | — | ||
Revival of Melee 2 (New York) | November 21st-22nd, 2009 | 159+ | — | — | — | |
Apex 2010 (New Jersey) | August 6th-8th, 2010 | 400+ | — | — | — | |
Revival of Melee 3 (New York) | November 20th-21st, 2010 | 168+ | — | — | — | |
KTAR 5 (New Jersey) | May 21st, 2011 | 116 | — | — | — | |
Zenith 2011 (New Jersey) | May 28th-29th, 2011 | 83 | — | — | — | |
KTAR 6 (New Jersey) | August 14th, 2011 | 130+ | — | — | — | |
Concentrate II (New Jersey) | October 30th, 2011 | 58 | — | — | — | |
Revival of Melee 4 (New York) | November 19th-20th, 2011 | 110+ | — | — | — | |
Apex 2012 (New Jersey) | January 6th-8th, 2012 | 1,000+ | — | — | ||
Zenith 2012 (New Jersey) | May 26th-27th, 2012 | 92+ | — | — | ||
Clash of the Titans 6 (New Jersey) | June 2nd, 2012 | 58 | — | — | — | |
SKTAR (New Jersey) | July 14th-15th, 2012 | 140+ | — | — | — | |
Revival of Melee 5 (New York) | November 17th-18th, 2012 | 110+ | — | — | — | |
XSmash (New Jersey) | December 22nd, 2012 | ??? | — | — | — | |
Collision VI (New York) | January 5th, 2013 | 38 | — | — | ||
Apex 2013 (New Jersey) | January 11th-13th, 2013 | 500+ | — | — | — | |
Zenith 2013 (New Jersey) | June 1st-2nd, 2013 | 120+ | — | |||
SKTAR 2 (New Jersey) | August 3rd-4th, 2013 | 141 | — | — | — | |
KTAR 7 (New Jersey) | July 6th-7th, 2013 | 55+ | — | — | ||
Revival of Melee 6 (New York) | November 16th-17th, 2013 | 110+ | — | — | — | |
KTAR 8 (New Jersey) | December 28th, 2013 | 60+ | — | — | ||
Apex 2014 (New Jersey) | January 17th-19th, 2014 | 700+ | — | — | — | |
Revival of Melee 7 (New York) | March 8th-9th, 2014 | 110+ | — | — | — | |
SKTAR 3 (New Jersey) | May 31st-June 1st, 2014 | 250+ | — | — | ||
Zenith 2014 (New Jersey) | August 2nd-3rd, 2014 | 418+ | — | |||
Apex 2015 (New Jersey) | January 30th-February 1st, 2015 | 1,600+ | — | — | ||
Shots Fired (Pennsylvania) | February 28th-March 1st, 2015 | 194+ | — | — | ||
Super Nebulous 3 (New York) | April 25th-26th, 2015 | 218 | — | — | — | |
Nebulous Prime 1 (New York) | August 14th-16th, 2015 | 200+ | — | — | ||
SKTAR 4 (New Jersey) | August 22nd-23rd, 2015 | 160+ | — | — | ||
We Tech Those (Pennsylvania) | November 14th-15th, 2015 | 160+ | — | — | ||
Shots Fired 2 (New Jersey) | March 5th-6th, 2016 | 368 | — | — | ||
Super Nebulous 4 (New York) | March 27th, 2016 | 196 | — | — | — | |
SuperNova (New York) | April 16th, 2016 | 172 | — | — | — | |
NEW FISH (New York) | May 7th, 2016 | 289 | — | — | ||
KTAR XVIII (New Jersey) | June 11th, 2016 | 428 | — | — | ||
Apex 2016 (New Jersey) | June 17th-19th, 2016 | 500+ | — | — | ||
We Tech Those 2 (Pennsylvania) | July 23rd-24th, 2016 | 110 | — | — | — | |
Collision XIV (New Jersey) | September 3rd, 2016 | 193 | — | — | ||
SuperBoomed (New York) | October 22nd-23rd, 2016 | 88 | — | — | — | |
Olympus (New Jersey) | October 28th-30th, 2016 | 314 | — | |||
KTAR XIX (New Jersey) | November 19th, 2016 | 493 | — | — | ||
Apollo (New York) | January 7th-8th, 2017 | 161 | — | — | — | |
The Flex Zone 2 (New York) | February 18th, 2017 | 134 | — | — | — | |
Keystoned (Pennsylvania) | March 11th-12th, 2017 | 68 | — | — | — | |
KTAR XX (New Jersey) | April 1st-2nd, 2017 | 192 | — | — | — | |
Royal Flush (New Jersey) | May 12th-14th, 2017 | 515 | — | — | — | |
Smashadelphia 2017 (Pennsylvania) | June 23rd-25th, 2017 | 263 | — | — | ||
The Empire Smashes Back (New York) | November 3rd-5th, 2017 | 61 | — | — | — | |
We Tech Those 3 (Pennsylvania) | January 13th-14th, 2018 | 248 | — | — | ||
The Gang Hosts a Melee Tournament (Pennsylvania) | February 3rd, 2018 | 242 | — | — | — | |
Smash Valley: Lucky 7 (Pennsylvania) | February 17th, 2018 | 315 | — | — | ||
Keystoned II (Pennsylvania) | March 10th-11th, 2018 | 96 | — | — | — | |
Collision XV (New Jersey) | March 31st, 2018 | 273 | — | — | — | |
The Flex Zone 3 (New York) | April 7th, 2018 | 101 | — | — | — | |
OMEGA II (New York) | June 16th-17th, 2018 | 140 | — | — | — | |
Smash Sounds (New York) | July 7th-8th, 2018 | 269 | — | — | — | |
Final Smash Attack: Player's Ball (New York) | July 29th, 2018 | 26 | — | — | — | |
SuperNova 2 (New York) | July 29th-30th, 2018 | 173 | — | — | — | |
NYXL Pop-Up! (New York) | December 22nd, 2018 | 171 | — | — | — | |
Let's Make Moves (New Jersey) | December 29th, 2018 | 504 | — | — | — | |
The Gang Steals The Script (Pennsylvania) | March 9th, 2019 | 219 | — | — | — | |
Keystoned III (Pennsylvania) | March 9th-10th, 2019 | 41 | — | — | — | |
Collision 2019 (New Jersey) | March 16th-17th, 2019 | 410 | — | — | — | |
Suplex City Smash (New Jersey) | April 6th, 2019 | 222 | — | — | — | |
The Scarlet Classic V (New Jersey) | April 14th, 2019 | 219 | — | — | ||
Smash at The Paramount (New York) | June 15th, 2019 | 235 | — | — | — | |
Defend the North 2019 (New York) | July 19th-21st, 2019 | 505 | — | — | ||
Return to Yoshi's Island (New York) | November 2nd, 2019 | 148 | — | — | — | |
Tri-state Showdown: Fall 2019 (New Jersey) | November 9th, 2019 | 229 | — | — | — | |
Let's Make Big Moves (New York) | January 3rd-5th, 2020 | 655 | — | — | — | |
Keystoned IV (Pennsylvania) | March 14th-15th, 2020 | 50 | — | — | — | |
Momentous (New York) | June 12th, 2021 | 16 | — | — | — | |
Keystoned 4.5 (Pennsylvania) | June 19th-20th, 2021 | 42 | — | — | — | |
Let's Make Big Moves 2022 (New York) | January 7th-9th, 2022 | 690 | — | — | — | |
Collision 2022 (New Jersey) | March 12th-13th, 2022 | 757 | — | — | — | |
The Function 2 (New York) | May 7th, 2022 | 200 | — | — | — | |
Keystoned V (Pennsylvania) | March 19th-20th, 2022 | 56 | — | — | — | |
Apex 2022 (New Jersey) | November 18th-20th, 2022 | 1,087 | — | |||
Redemption Rumble (New York) | December 30th-31st, 2022 | 16 | — | — | — | |
Let's Make Big Moves 2023 (New York) | January 6th-8th, 2023 | 791 | — | — | — | |
EON: Revelation (New York) | February 11th, 2023 | 129 | — | — | — | |
Collision 2023 (New Jersey) | March 10th-12th, 2023 | 1,075 | — | — | ||
Keystoned VI (Pennsylvania) | March 18th-19th, 2023 | 72 | — | — | — | |
High Rez (New York) | July 8th-9th, 2023 | 240 | — | — | — | |
B-Airs 400 (Pennsylvania) | October 6th, 2023 | 133 | — | — | — | |
The Function 3 (New York) | November 11th, 2023 | 259 | — | — | — | |
Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024 (New York) | January 5th-7th, 2024 | 915 | — | — | — | |
Collision 2024 (New Jersey) | March 15th-17th, 2024 | 1,183 | — | — | ||
The Function 4 (New York) | October 26th, 2024 | 295 | — | — | — | |
Knightmare at The Roundtable (New Jersey) | October 26th, 2024 | 129 | — | — | — | |
Nounsvitational 2024 (New York) | December 7th-8th, 2024 | 16 | — | — | — |
Largest singles events[edit]
Rank | Tournament | Date | Game | Attendance | Winner | Character(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Apex 2015 | January 30th-February 1st, 2015 | 1,037 | PPMD | ||
2 | Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024 | January 5th-7th, 2024 | 891 | Tweek | ||
3 | Let's Make Big Moves 2023 | January 6th-8th, 2023 | 791 | Tweek | ||
4 | Collision 2022 | March 12th-13th, 2022 | 749 | Sparg0 | ||
5 | Apex 2015 | January 30th-February 1st, 2015 | 734 | ZeRo | ||
6 | Collision 2024 | March 15th-17th, 2024 | 714 | Sparg0 | ||
7 | Let's Make Big Moves | January 3rd-5th, 2020 | 650 | Nairo | ||
8 | Apex 2014 | January 17th-19th, 2014 | 629 | Dr. PeePee | ||
9 | Collision 2023 | March 10th-12th, 2023 | 619 | Riddles | ||
10 | Apex 2022 | November 18th-20th, 2022 | 607 | Miya |